In her first interview since becoming chief executive officer of the BCLA, Cheryl Donnelly tells Optician of her plans for the organisation. Joe Ayling reports
Modern-day contact lens opticians must showcase their specialist knowledge and clinical skills through better communication to retain patients for the long-term.
This has become part of Cheryl Donnelly’s mission as the British Contact Lens Association’s new boss, having taken up the mantle from longstanding secretary general Vivien Freeman at the beginning of the year. Price transparency, competing with internet-only suppliers and using latest technologies were also high on the agenda.
Her newly created CEO role was another sign of modernisation at the BCLA, which unveiled a £100,000 ‘brand re-ignition programme’ last year (News 24.05.13), including a new website and logo.
During an interview at the BCLA’s London headquarters last week, Donnelly told Optician: ‘It’s a really exciting time to be joining the BCLA as CEO. I believe my background within both the profession and industry will help me to make a difference to the BCLA, and its members.
‘I think that the BCLA has come an awful long way, particularly over the last five years. The organisation has changed and rightly so because the profession and industry is changing. This applies to routes to market, as well as patient and practitioner demands, and it is only right and appropriate that the BCLA adapts accordingly.’
Donnelly was able to bring across experience from both clinical and business settings, most recently working as Bausch+Lomb’s director of medical affairs, Vision Care for Europe, in the Middle East and Africa.
She said: ‘Vivien was fantastic and did a brilliant job bringing the BCLA to where it is today. With my varied background I can look at things from an academic, industry and practitioner perspective, both independent and multiple. Having this insight will hopefully help in steering the organisation to meet the needs of the contact lens profession and industry, now and in the future.
‘My 13 years at B+L taught me much about the profession in the wider global community and provided me with a very strong global and European network of practitioners to call on. UK clinicians are highly skilled and are well respected in the world of contact lenses globally, but it’s always worth looking at how other countries’ professions operate. What some other communities are fabulous at is portraying their clinical excellence to their patients. Perhaps it is the British culture, but some of us are shy at telling the public just how good we are professionally and clinically in delivering excellence in patient care. This in itself can raise challenges such as the patient view of value for money in the supply of contact lenses.’
In addition to explaining the level of care available, CLOs also needed to inform patients on the latest contact lens innovations before they heard about them elsewhere.
Donnelly said: ‘You’ve got to be the best you can be from both a clinical and a communication perspective. This means having the business acumen together with the confidence that you’re providing the right service for your patients.
‘Communication is absolutely key and I’d say the majority of practitioners here in the UK are quite brilliant. It is vital to communicate well with the patients and give them what they want while bringing them up to date with the latest innovations and technology. Because social media is such a phenomenon now, patients will feel unhappy if they hear about the latest technology on the internet and their clinician hasn’t mentioned it to them.’
Indeed, a business day hosted by optometrist and business consultant Peter Ivins at last year’s BCLA annual conference also highlighted the need for strong commercial awareness in today’s profession. The 2014 event, scheduled for June 6-9 at the ICC Birmingham, has now opened for registration and is the first developed by new conference programme co-ordinator Nick Rumney.
Meanwhile, asked what challenge cheap online contact lens retailers able to buy in bulk posed to high street practices, Donnelly recommended an open approach and shifting the focus to the level of care offered within an optical practice.
She said: ‘We have to be more transparent with the pricing. When you buy something online it’s very clear what you’re buying and what you’re paying for. I know there are many experts out in the contact lens profession that charge fees versus price for product and that’s one way of showing that transparency.
‘Patients will need to understand that in order to get their initial supply of contact lenses they need to see their practitioner first, with ongoing supplies also requiring a valid prescription. When you have that opportunity to have contact with your patients that is the time you must emphasise care and education.
‘Contact lenses available online are here to stay, our patients are consumers after all. Taking aside the policing of the regulations, it’s about listening to what your patients want making sure you can deliver it when the patient needs it, but also showing them a high degree of professionalism.’
Speaking of future opportunities, Donnelly was buoyed by the development of new technologies including smart contact lenses.
She added: ‘I guess 10 years ago we probably didn’t think there would be the lenses and the technology we have now. This includes innovation in contact lens design, in-practice instruments and lens materials. Just look at the current research which is actually becoming a reality in areas such as myopia control – it will absolutely be important for the future of the profession.
‘As we said in response to the Google [smart contact] lens it’s brilliant that you’ve got all these different technology synergies. Electrical engineering and polymer technology along with understanding measurements of diabetic patients, tear film and all of those elements. It’s just phenomenal and we have to make sure we embrace and work with the latest technology rather than being a little bit uncomfortable with it.
‘It is the BCLA’s job to make sure we are educating and keeping our members up to speed to make sure we are giving our patients the best technology that is available.’