Letter: Locums on the rise

I am writing in response to the letter relating to locum optometrists working in the UK. I cannot agree with the points made in the letter.

It is certainly true there are more optometrists working as locums than in the past. The Optical Workforce Survey (OWS), undertaken and published by the College at the beginning of the year, shows there has been a substantial increase in the prevalence of locum working, with 17.5% of optometrists now working as locums as compared to 10.5% in 2010.

However, locum optometrists are qualified to the same standard as every other optometrist. Regardless of their career choices, all practising optometrists in the UK will have sat the College’s Scheme for Registration or equivalent. And, once qualified, they retain their place on the register in exactly the same way as all practising optometrists and, even when working part-time, have to gain exactly the same number of CET points as optometrists working full-time and in directly employed capacities.