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Re: get the word out!

Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:33 pm
by michel le curie
Well a year on. One or two things have happened.
Are there any stats available for permanent practice closures, early retirements, major rises or falls in turnover ?
I doubt Brexit has had little impact if any on Optics but Covid certainly will have. Is it too early to tell?

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:11 pm
by michel le curie
No response
OK I'll kick off to demonstrate what might be happening.
I live in a Staffordshire market town population 24K.
On the old rule of thumb one Optical practice per 9K population there should be about 3 outlets. There are now 3 (2 multiples 1 indie) plus 1 bucketshop. 4 years ago there were 5(2 indie + 3multi) plus the b/s.....in my view too many. One indie shut down about 3 years back (failed succession after a retirement) & Boots (prev D&A) closed mid-last year.
So I reckon Covid has produced about the right balance for ongoing eyecare provision unless there is a change in population or an increase in general local employment opportunities which seems unlikely in the near future.
I know the geography is fairly clear cut in this situation.
Does this relate to what's going on elsewhere?

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:29 pm
by Andrew D Price
It will be interesting to see the numbers of individuals that have renewed GOC registration. It seems the amount of CET points accrued at this stage of the cycle is down in all sectors, quite significantly for DOs, in a situation over the last 12 months where when practices were closed there was opportunity to acquire and free webinars available almost daily now. I wonder if a significant number of professionals have simply decided eye care is not for them any more?

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:51 pm
by felicity_james
Andrew D Price wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:29 pm It will be interesting to see the numbers of individuals that have renewed GOC registration. It seems the amount of CET points accrued at this stage of the cycle is down in all sectors, quite significantly for DOs, in a situation over the last 12 months where when practices were closed there was opportunity to acquire and free webinars available almost daily now. I wonder if a significant number of professionals have simply decided eye care is not for them any more?
I usually have a decent lump of points by now, but with lockdown my childcare options have nearly disappeared, and work hours are non-stop busy. Add to that the lack of trade fairs and we have a good reason my CET count this year is very low.

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:21 pm
by Andrew D Price
Hello Felicity_James: Let's hope things return towards the previous situation as soon as possible. Hopefully extra points can be picked up in the second half of this year. It's one thing to make a voluntary decision to not acquire points or drop of the register, another to not be able to gather enough.

Perhaps I can help with a webinar, time to suit, free-of-charge, send me an email. Hopefully SCLOSS in November?

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:36 pm
by felicity_james
That's very kind of you Andrew. I'm hoping that as restrictions ease my options will open up. I suspect a fair number of people who have been combining homeschool and work will be in a similar position.

Slightly peeved that I can't count my IP hospital placement, as that would cover the points if not all competencies, and it is definitely educational. (If I'm wrong and the placement can be counted, someone tell me!)

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:29 am
by Ford Prefect
I remember quite a few optoms (me included) saying how much web based CET we'd do during lockdown 1.

Didn't really happen!

I only know of one closure since covid hit, and that was due to him being fed up with optometry, and had been for a while. Covid just gave him thinking time. Damn fine optom he was, too.

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:08 am
by michel le curie
f_j ..... points score....it'll be hard work...but:
Try insisting to the powers that be that your IP placement counts. Propose awarding yourself a feasible & defensible number, say one for each session, case examples recorded & documented, if at all possible supported (countersigned?) by your mentor or supervisor. You may need to construct a proforma record sheet for each session....told you it would be hard work, making it up as you go along.
Point out the obvious difficulties of:
a) attending such sessions during COVID, deserving merit in itself.
b)the further difficulties of actually attending formal educational events during COVID
......they should obviously be aware of b) anyway & morally should be supportive of your individual documented efforts to further advance & review your knowledge.
If they won't play ball & you feel you need the extra points & have a fair case, air it on here for opinion &/or take it up with your College Councillor if you are a member.

(A long time ago, when the points scheme was on trial & still voluntary, I did actually this. I awarded myself points for my DipTp case presentation & viva exam [if you can't believe your own bullshit?]. They were accepted on trust but the points scheme was then in it's infancy & not so formal.)

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:59 pm
by Nedmundo
felicity_james wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:51 pm
Andrew D Price wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:29 pm It will be interesting to see the numbers of individuals that have renewed GOC registration. It seems the amount of CET points accrued at this stage of the cycle is down in all sectors, quite significantly for DOs, in a situation over the last 12 months where when practices were closed there was opportunity to acquire and free webinars available almost daily now. I wonder if a significant number of professionals have simply decided eye care is not for them any more?
I usually have a decent lump of points by now, but with lockdown my childcare options have nearly disappeared, and work hours are non-stop busy. Add to that the lack of trade fairs and we have a good reason my CET count this year is very low.
Worth signing up with these folks:

https://icetuk.com/

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 1:35 pm
by felicity_james
Cheers Ned. It's just the simple fact that I have no time to call my own until 9pm, and then it has to be quiet so as not to wake anyone. Bit of a rock and a hard place just now, but I'll sort something out.

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 9:14 pm
by superoptom165
Andrew D Price wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:21 pm Hello Felicity_James: Let's hope things return towards the previous situation as soon as possible. Hopefully extra points can be picked up in the second half of this year. It's one thing to make a voluntary decision to not acquire points or drop of the register, another to not be able to gather enough.

Perhaps I can help with a webinar, time to suit, free-of-charge, send me an email. Hopefully SCLOSS in November?
I was speaking to Scott Mackie last week and he was very optimistic SCLOSS would go ahead this year.

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 9:19 pm
by chinnyman
michel le curie wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:11 pm No response
OK I'll kick off to demonstrate what might be happening.
I live in a Staffordshire market town population 24K.
On the old rule of thumb one Optical practice per 9K population there should be about 3 outlets. There are now 3 (2 multiples 1 indie) plus 1 bucketshop. 4 years ago there were 5(2 indie + 3multi) plus the b/s.....in my view too many. One indie shut down about 3 years back (failed succession after a retirement) & Boots (prev D&A) closed mid-last year.
So I reckon Covid has produced about the right balance for ongoing eyecare provision unless there is a change in population or an increase in general local employment opportunities which seems unlikely in the near future.
I know the geography is fairly clear cut in this situation.
Does this relate to what's going on elsewhere?

Taking a stab at Rugeley?😉

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:31 am
by michel le curie
Yup.
A large amount of recent new builds & more proposed, presumably aimed at commuters.......what happened to them? Perhaps WFH will create a cottage industry economy.....Local Authorities take note the loss of business rates will need to be made up somewhere. The main employers have gone, power station some years ago & JCB last year leaving Amazon & little else other than small business & supermarkets.
Despite the newbuilds, it seems that from permanent closures the local high street will barely re-open, the town market has been & will remain desolate. This scene is I fear repeated countrywide.
Ghost town GB. It will, I suggest, simply confirm in hindsight the self-inflicted " democratic" loss of the fallback of EU protection to be the most effective collective commercial suicide note ever written. Maybe a future Government with the flair & courage of an Atlee, a Thatcher (spit, but it made some of us rich for a bit), even a Blair (before Iraq) will have the vision & courage to provide an incentive, otherwise as I've noted many, many times previously we're just an outpost of China conveniently on the western edge of Europe. Hong Kong in reverse.
Sermon over, I hope I'm wrong,........ but at least the balance of local eyecare is about right at last.

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:32 pm
by scotoma
There are heaps of CET points on the OT website, Optician website and College website. Providing you're a member/subscriber.
Won't be able to get CET retrospectively for your IP I don't think FJ as it has be pre-approved. I got some when I did mine but they were designated teach & treat sessions.

Re: get the word out!

Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:03 pm
by felicity_james
Thanks to everyone who offered help. I've been into mygoc and the picture is actually pretty good, I've done everything except the min 6points for this year, seems manageable even with the childcare situation.