Optical professionals have voiced that challenging working conditions impacted job satisfaction levels and their ability to provide safe patient care, according to the optical regulator’s annual registrant workforce and perceptions survey 2024.
With both job satisfaction lowered, at 58% this year compared to 62% in 2023, and job dissatisfaction heightened to 25% (up by 5% since 2023), the profession continues to struggle with the same problems of not feeling valued, a heavy workload, and poor salary.
These negative working conditions were correlated closely with difficulties in providing sufficient care to patients, with respondents voicing the top six barriers as time pressures and insufficiently short testing times; volume of patients due to overbooking and ‘ghost clinics’; understaffing and inexperienced/underqualified staff; pressure from sales targets; NHS pressures and waiting lists; and insufficient NHS fees or GOS contracts.
Steve Brooker, GOC director of regulatory strategy, commented: ‘Our latest registrant survey has highlighted the impact that challenging work conditions can have on optometrists’ and dispensing opticians’ ability to deliver safe patient care. It also shows a connection between these conditions and plans to leave the profession.’
The survey was conducted by Enventure Research in March and April 2024, totaling 4,575 responses and representing 15% of the registrant population.
Job dissatisfaction has been attributed to not feeling valued (68%, up from 64% in 2023), heavy workload (61%, down from 62%), and poor salary (56%, up from 54%), while the highest levels of job satisfaction came from having rewarding and interesting work (68%, down from 69%), having a good working environment (60%) and a good work/life balance (56%, up from 53%).
The survey reported that 67% of professionals frequently or sometimes work beyond their hours, 54% felt unable to cope with workloads, and 31% found it difficult to provide patients with the level of care they need, up from 52%, 37% and 27% in 2023, respectively.
Optometrists were more likely than dispensing opticians to be impacted by these negative working conditions and were 14% more likely to struggle to provide patients with necessary care.
Eye care professionals in education and academia and hospitals found the most satisfaction, at 67% and 65% respectively, with positive impact from involvement in enhanced service delivery and additional qualifications.
Whereas the GOC said that respondents working for a multiple were significantly more dissatisfied and were more likely to select every reason listed when compared with those who worked in independent practice/as a sole practitioner.
Workplace conflict continues
Harassment, bullying or abuse from patients and service users, their relatives or other members of the public, was still a concern.
It seems little progress has been made since leading optical associations met in October 2023 following last year’s revelatory results, where they committed to a ‘zero-tolerance approach to bullying, harassment, abuse, and discrimination’ and pledged to ‘work together to promote a safe and positive working environment for all members of the optical team’.
Despite these efforts, statistics remain unchanged with 42% of respondents having at least one experience of this in the last 12 months, compared to 41% in 2023. While results are similar with bullying, harassment, abuse and discrimination by managers, colleagues and academic superiors, increasing by 1-2% since 2023.
Brooker commented on the ongoing situation in the industry: ‘Last year’s new figures on levels of harassment, bullying, abuse and discrimination were a wake-up call for the sector, so it’s disturbing that incidence has remained just as high in 2024.
‘The joint sector statement we published last year, with membership bodies and employers committing to a zero-tolerance approach to these behaviours, was a useful first signal of intent, but as a sector we now need to collectively step up and make practical changes to create fairer and more inclusive working environments.
‘As part of our Standards Review, later this month Council is due to approve tougher standards that will explicitly reference behaviour between colleagues and require optical businesses to put in place support for registrants who have experienced discrimination, bullying or harassment in the workplace.’
Females, younger respondents, those with a disability and from ethnic minority backgrounds were found to be at higher risk of harassment, bullying or abuse from all sources.
Sixty-six percent of respondents that experience harassment, abuse or bullying found it difficult to provide patients with the sufficient level of care they need, suggesting a clear impact of negative work experiences.
Disillusionment in the profession
Sixteen per cent of optical professionals planned to leave the profession in the next 12-24 months, up from 14% in 2023. Respondents say this is because of significant disillusionment with the profession (61%), the need to reduce stress, burnout and fatigue (53%), low salaries (48%), lack of job satisfaction (48%), and too much focus on sales and commercial pressures (46%).
The biggest changes since 2023 are attitudes of disillusionment (+4%), lack of support from employers (+5%) and low salaries (+6%). Dispensing opticians were more likely than optometrists to leave the profession, with 145 out of 220 (66%) planning to leave due to low salaries, compared to 36% of optometrists, and up by 9% since 2023, according to the survey.
Respondents also linked factors for leaving to difficulties in providing sufficient level of care to patients. Similar reasons were given for those wanting to take a career break or who have taken a leave of absence in the past 12 months.
Career plans over the next 12-24 months
Career development optimism
On a positive note, many professionals felt optimistic about career opportunities available in the workplace and access to education and knowledge opportunities.
Seventy-three per cent agreed they have opportunities to improve knowledge and skills, 61% said they have access to the right learning and development opportunities, while 55% had career development opportunities and 46% felt supported to develop their potential. This was mostly consistent with the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.
More respondents within hospital (61%) and academia (65%) settings said they have had opportunities for career development, compared to multiples, independents and domiciliary care workplace settings.
However, only around a third of locums (30%) and those with disability (35%), and less than half of professionals of Asian ethnic background (43%) or working in London (41%) felt supported to develop their potential.
The barriers to career progression were highlighted as time constraints and high workload; costs and financial constraints or the need to self-fund development, and lack of employer support.
