News that GOS sight test fees have been frozen is bitterly disappointing for the sector, but it really shouldn’t come as surprise, given it’s now the fifth year in succession that the Optometric Fees Negotiating Fees (OFNC) has failed to agree any increase.
The OFNC has made inroads into CET grants and pre-reg supervisor funding in recent years, but I am beginning to wonder if the organisation’s strategy needs a serious rethink.
However, there might be a glimmer of hope. If there’s one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown everyone, it’s that public opinion of the NHS and its dedicated staff has never been higher. Every Thursday night, the nation stands on doorsteps to clap, cheer and holler in appreciation of the work the NHS is currently undertaking.
The OFNC really needs to capitalise on this groundswell of public feeling and go back to the Department of Health and Social Care for the next round of negotiations and tell it that it’s no longer acceptable that NHS services are subjected to austere thinking from half a decade ago. Because as much as there is positivity driving support for the NHS, how organisations and businesses have reacted to the crisis on a human level is under intense scrutiny.
You only have to look at pub chains who have refused to pay workers and suppliers, or premier league football clubs that have furloughed non-playing staff to recognise that being seen to act with decency has quickly risen up the list of people’s priorities. Boycott culture is looming large for these companies and there are now websites where good and bad responses from businesses are laid bare for all to see. Anyone mistreating NHS services and workers is likely to be a focal point for frustration.
Let’s hope the Department of Health and Social Care appreciates this and that the OFNC has the guts to remind them.