Training and Development

During 2021-2022 LOCSU has delivered and supported a full programme of training and development to ensure LOC members can strengthen their skillsets, share knowledge, and network with peers in the industry. This is central to building a strong pipeline of LOC talent ready to take on leadership positions and play important roles during this critical period of recovery and transformation.

LOCSU offers a variety of training and development routes, ranging from the formally accredited clinical training courses, delivered by the Wales Optometry Postgraduate Education Centre (WOPEC), to the informal Treasurers’ Sessions.

Whether formally or informally structured, all options offer the opportunity to collaborate and share best practices alongside ideas for improvement. LOCSU works to ensure that courses and sessions are supported with post-event resources to capture key points and encourage continuous development.

Treasurers’ Sessions Offer Valuable Discussion and Guidance Forum

The programme of regular Treasurers’ Sessions was initiated in response to the recognition that the Treasurer role is often viewed as distinct from other LOC positions and needs specific support in a peer group where experienced participants can share their knowledge with new post-holders.

The sessions took place through online channels during 2021/22, run in the evenings, with a choice of three sessions each time to allow maximum flexibility for attendees. LOCSU acts as facilitator for the sessions, which are open forum so attendees can bring any questions for discussion and get practical tips from other participants.

LOCSU Information Officer Lisa Stonham reflects on the benefits of the sessions: “They are a useful addition to the support that LOCSU gives LOCs. They provide a supportive and collaborative environment for treasurers to share best practices and new ideas. The buddy system, which pairs a new treasurer with a more experienced one, is especially valuable for those settling into a new treasurer role.”

A further advantage the sessions have delivered is as an early warning system for issues that may be affecting one or two LOCs, but that have not yet had a wider impact. This allows LOC Treasurers to see over the horizon and prepare for future challenges.

After each session, LOCSU collates and distributes notes so there is an accessible record of discussions. Those who have not been able to join the sessions can therefore still benefit.

Just some of the topics covered this year were succession planning for the Treasurer role; ensuring LOCs have at least dual access to LOC funds; and a session with Katrina Venerus of PCSE who outlined the functions of PCSE online and eGOS, as well as answering specific questions from LOCs.

The value of Treasurers’ Sessions grows in proportion to the number of participants, and these have been rising over the course of the year. LOCSU aims to engage all Treasurers with the sessions and follow-up resources as part of its continuing guidance and support.

Lisa Stonham concludes: “The sessions are proving their value. They help to grow expertise within the Treasurer community and create connections that will bear fruit in future.”

LOC Induction Courses: A Focus on Proactive LOC Membership

The LOC induction programme is designed to introduce new LOC members to the roles, duties and responsibilities of LOCs. The aim is to help new members quickly adapt to their position and become effective contributors to their committee. It is also an excellent opportunity for LOCSU to update inductees on the latest developments in the NHS Long Term Plan and how it is affecting the sector on the ground.

This year induction courses were held in June and November 2021, with 37 inductees taking part.

Jo Lindley is an optometrist based in Surrey. She became a member of Surrey LOC in 2020 and attended the LOC induction course in June 2021. She tells us what she gained:

“The LOC induction course was an excellent foundation for becoming an active and informed LOC member. When you join a LOC there is a lot to learn and the induction course is a great way to get to grips with the purpose of LOC activities, how LOCs are funded and what we are trying to achieve.

“The course had a strong emphasis on the importance of making a contribution, offering detailed information on how to go about this. There are also some very helpful practical resources such as the jargon-buster, which really helps de-code the extensive terminology used in the NHS.

“The induction course also looked at the challenges of succession planning. There is so much knowledge in LOCs, but it tends to be in people’s heads, which is a risk when it comes to future planning. It is something that we have worked to address in Surrey LOC since taking part in the course.

“I’d recommend that every new LOC member completes the induction course and I’ll be encouraging our new recruits to take part. We are here to make a difference and shape the future, so it makes sense to learn the best ways to go about it!”

Simon Brooks also attended the June 2021 induction course and has applied what he learned. He has useful advice for new LOC members: “Choose an area of your professional or personal expertise and try and get involved with that in a proactive way. There are many avenues to explore, which could be education, eye health, business development, IT support, etc. It can be confusing at first; as a new member you will sit in meetings and encounter issues that are approaching conclusion, some that are halfway through, and some that are new. I suggest you concentrate your efforts on the things that are just beginning, as those that are in the process of being wrapped up will soon be history.”

Simone Mason, LOCSU’s Digital Learning Support Officer, who leads the LOC induction course, notes: “The induction course does so much more than simply transfer knowledge. It is an excellent opportunity for networking and ideas generation, helping to build a proactive and collaborative community of LOC members across the country. This will become increasingly important as we enter a phase where a single ICS may be working with up to four LOCs that previously worked with the CCGs in the region. Collaboration will be paramount as LOCs decide how to share activity among themselves to engage successfully with the ICS.”

LOC Leadership Course

The LOC Leadership Course is a key pillar of LOCSU’s approach to fostering progression for senior members in the profession. In 2021 ten candidates were nominated by their LOCs to develop their leadership skills through participation in the course, so they can become instrumental in shaping the growth and direction of the optical sector at local and national level.     

LOCSU commissions WOPEC to deliver the 20-credit postgraduate programme which  follows an intellectually rigorous programme covering a broad range of topics. Each participant completes an essay on a topic they feel is important to their LOC and the sector as a whole. As Simone explains: “The topics chosen reflect the challenges facing LOCs and provide timely insight into current issues.”

This year’s topics included: Engaging new LOC members; social media; the impact of the pandemic, and an exploration of the pros and cons of virtual versus face-to-face meetings.

Successfully undertaking the LOC Leadership Course requires considerable commitment but also delivers huge personal returns. Sukhi Drake is Secretary at Solihull LOC. She undertook the Leadership course from March to June 2021 motivated by a desire for personal development and aiming to discover new ways to develop the services offered through Solihull LOC.

For her essay assignment Sukhi explored the impact of the pandemic and the effect of different leadership styles during the crisis.

Sukhi found that undertaking the leadership course has given her good insight into the qualities needed and issues to be aware of for leaders during the current period of transformation: “it is important to be aware of the impact of social media and also issues around mental health in the current uncertain climate,” she notes. “This can have a huge impact on the people who work around you and good leadership means being alert to the possible reasons behind behavioural changes, understanding where they might come from and being able to offer support. I think empathy is a hugely important skill that leaders should nurture.”

Sukhi embarked on the leadership course at the suggestion of her LOC and encourages others to consider it: “I would not have looked at taking the course except for the suggestion and support from my LOC, but having completed it I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to develop their skills in the sector.”

Alvaro Borges, Chair of Gloucestershire LOC also undertook the leadership course and echoes Sukhi’s recommendation, saying: “There is no more profitable investment than investing in yourself. You won’t regret it!”

Alvaro was motivated to take the leadership course in response to the turbulence he witnessed in the pandemic. He recalls: “Both performers and contractors were in many instances lost in those new circumstances and the need for leadership and someone to guide them during those incredibly difficult times was obvious to me. Having taken the position of LOC Chair the year before meant that I was already looking to be more involved in the leadership of the committee.”

Since completing the course Alvaro has taken what he learned back to his LOC and applied it to their activities: “We successfully applied for funding of higher qualifications for local practitioners, in the domains of IP, Medical Retina, Glaucoma and Low Vision. There are now 20 local Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians signed up for the post-graduation courses.”

WOPEC: New Training Modules and Refreshed Courses Extend CPD Provision

At the formal end of LOCSU’s training and development provision are the accredited courses and sessions offered in partnership with WOPEC. These are designed to support the implementation and delivery of extended primary care pathways and are available to Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians through their LOCs. Each course or session attracts CPD points.

During 2021-2022 two new courses were launched and virtual peer review discussion sessions took place.

Virtual Peer Discussions Explore the Best Use of Extended Primary Eye Care Services

During December 2021 and February 2022, WOPEC and LOCSU jointly delivered 90-minute peer discussion sessions for LOCs. Each discussion explored three clinical cases from primary eye care practice featuring aspects of LOCSU clinical pathways such as Children’s Vision, Minor Eye Conditions, or Glaucoma Referral Filtering and Monitoring. The aim of each session was to reflect on how to deliver excellent patient care through the effective application of extended primary eye care services.

Each session was limited to six participants and was facilitated by a WOPEC clinical lead or LOCSU optical lead to ensure the opportunity for robust and inclusive debate. The peer discussion sessions proved to be useful and engaging, and LOCSU will now work with WOPEC to develop “off-the-shelf” resources to enable LOCs to independently deliver their own CPD-accredited peer discussions.

Commenting on this initiative, Zoe Richmond said: “Peer discussions are an excellent way to apply theory to practical cases and explore the best ways to implement pathways to ensure exemplary patient care. This is also a new format for CPD that puts the emphasis on collaborative learning, something that will appeal to many LOC members.”

New Maculopathy Module and Lecture Series Launched

In December 2021 WOPEC and LOCSU launched a Maculopathy OCT interpretation lecture series intended for optometrists involved in Maculopathy referral filtering and monitoring services as well as Urgent Eye Care services (MECS and CUES).

The series aims to improve the efficiency and accuracy of case-finding for AMD (wet active) for both new and review patients, thereby improving the speed of diagnosis and treatment to prevent sight loss.

Interest in the course was immediate, with half of LOCs contacting LOCSU for access codes within the first week. During the 2021-2022 period, 458 candidates registered for the course and 123 CET certificates were awarded.

A Collaborative Approach to Eyecare Services for People With a Learning Disability

LOCSU partnered with SeeAbility, a charity that supports people who have learning disabilities or autism and sight loss, as well as several subject matter experts to refresh its module covering Eyecare Services for People with a Learning Disability.

This truly collaborative effort has resulted in a module that is essential for practitioners wishing to make their practice accessible for people with learning disabilities. Completion of the module is also a pre-requisite for practitioners who want to deliver the LOCSU community learning disability pathway and the NHS England Special Schools eyecare Service.

This course is free to eye care practitioners, eye care administration staff, and other healthcare professionals and is funded by LOCSU, WOPEC, ABDO and SeeAbility.

There was strong early interest in the course and from launch (in 2021) to 2022 period, 229 candidates registered for the course and 34 CET certificates were awarded.