News of Boots Opticians landing a £40,000 fine for bogus blue light adverts (In Focus) underlines there is no place for scaremongering in the profession.
It is nearly two years since the multiple agreed to remove the print adverts, which claimed blue light from screens caused retinal deterioration over time. The prolonged period since only highlights the GOC’s shortcomings in speeding up the FTP process.
In the meantime, an undercover investigation by Watchdog found instances of ‘frightening’ advice being offered to some patients in Boots branches. The resulting headlines did the profession no favours either.
Although £40,000 might be a drop in the ocean of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s profits, it is just £10,000 short of the maximum GOC fine. In terms of severity, therefore, this is a four out of five.
Of further concern to Boots Opticians’ new management though is the harm it does to patient trust in a well-established high street name.
As the second largest optical chain in the UK, Boots knows that with power comes responsibility.
Taking a hard sell approach to the high street is not befitting of healthcare flagship operating since 1849 and treating patients in more than 600 practices across the UK.
To upsell its blue light filtering lenses using the fear factor, without sufficient evidence, is embarrassing for the company and the wider profession.
New Boots Opticians managing director Jonathan Gardner, who only entered the fray in March, faces the challenge of re-building that trust.
Sometimes only a crisis can bring real change, and he will hope the fine consigns the adverts to the past and brings into view some less harmful light at the end of the tunnel.