Cohesion within a sector is a rare thing to see so it was heartening to be able to attend the inaugural Optical Confederation Conference earlier this week.
The OC Conference draws together the five Confederation members of ABDO, ACLM, AOP, FMO and FODO which together represent 70,000 people in the optical professions and those working in related optical businesses. The conference day allowed the majority of these organisations to hold their individual annual general meetings and provide a forum for discussion and a Question Time event featuring a panel made up of the presidents and chairman of the five members plus the Local Optical Committee Support Unit.
The sectorial gravity that such cohesion creates didn't stop there. As well as LOCSU the meeting also made space for an AGM of the optical benevolent fund, it also attracted Julie-Anne Little, the president of the European optical committee ECOO. By banding together the Confederation was also able to bring the registrar of the General Optical Council, Samantha Peters, along to talk about health regulation and Lord Howe, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health to discuss the future of eye health and eye care.
There was much scepticism, not least from this journal, when yet another optical body emerged, perhaps that was misplaced. In his opening remarks OC chairman, Don Grocott, said since its inception four years ago the OC had resulted in cost savings, initiated new services and presented a united and stronger front to government. The OC had shown: 'We are better together'.