What if you witness something that you feel puts patients at risk – an unsafe practice or procedure you’re not happy with? This month optometrist Michelle Hanratty discusses the concepts of Speaking Up and Whistleblowing with David Hewlett, Group Director at FODO. We also hear from someone unhappy with the current procedures and speak to Julie Breen, the first primary care Freedom to Speak up Guardian for optometry.


Docet - dedicated to providing quality education and training to all UK registered optometrists.

7: Speaking Up – Putting patients first

Sound Optometry is the podcast from Docet that provides high quality continuing education and training for all UK-GOC-registered optometrists. Each month, we’ll be exploring the topics that matter most to us optometrists with case studies and in-depth conversations.
You can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on Docet's website: http://docet.info (http://docet.info/)

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Complaints are a normal part of a patient-facing industry, like optometry — from problems with prescriptions to quibbles about customer service. Therefore, handling complaints in a professional manner is an essential part of the GOC’s Standards of Practice. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty hears from Dawn Slocombe, a Complaints Resolution Manager at the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS), about how complaints are processed through their service and why communication is the key. Michelle also asks Richard Edwards, the Clinical Consultant for the OCCS, how to manage your complaints process better, to avoid any issues escalating. In addition, Richard describes how optometrists can reduce the likelihood of a complaint happening in the first place. Thanks also to Roshni Kanabar from the Association of Optometrists (AOP).



This podcast expands on Docet’s “Leadership is not hierarchical” webinar, in which Richard Edwards was the speaker. Richard answers many of the follow-up questions that optometrists sent in. 



If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.



All GOC-registered optometrists can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Leadership & Accountability. Docet - dedicated to providing quality education and professional development to all UK registered optometrists.

39: Complaints – Taking the lead

In optometry, exciting new products or treatments are constantly coming onto the market. As practitioners, we need to keep our knowledge up-to-date, so that we can offer solutions to our patients if they present with an ocular condition. But is the evidence strong enough to make a recommendation or to provide that treatment? 



In this episode, Michelle Hanratty taps into the expertise of IP optometrists Paramdeep Bilkhu and Alan Hawrami. As a Clinical Advisor at the College of Optometrists, Paramdeep explains how he interrogates research evidence to produce Clinical Management Guidelines and how to ensure that clinical practice is evidence-based and patient-centred. Meanwhile Alan, as the director of two practices providing community ophthalmology in Kent, discusses what he would consider before investing in a new treatment or instrument and the importance of clear communication when obtaining patient consent.



If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.



All GOC-registered optometrists can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Professionalism and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality education and professional development to all UK registered optometrists.






38: Evidence-based practice – What, where, why?

Ocular allergy can be more complicated than the seasonal conjunctivitis that optometrists see frequently in practice. To treat allergic reactions effectively, it’s important to understand how the immune system works. In this episode, Michelle and Dr Peter Frampton, an optometrist at Aaron Optometrists in the North of England, discuss the four types of immune reactions, or “allergies”, that can be expected in practice. Michelle also speaks to Eleaonor, one of Peter’s patients, who had interstitial keratitis as a result of a long-term herpes zoster infection. Peter explains why, perhaps unexpectedly, this case is actually an allergic response. 



If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.



All GOC-registered optometrists can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication, Clinical Practice and Independent prescribing. Docet - dedicated to providing quality education and professional development to all UK registered optometrists.

37: Immunology and allergy – A not so obvious link

Children with special educational needs (SEN) are 28 times more likely to have a problem with their vision—or how their brains interpret vision—than their peers. It’s essential that optometrists understand how to make appointments as successful as possible for SEN children and their families. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty asks Ellie Hughes, Assistant Headteacher and Sensory Impairment Lead at Chellow Heights Special School, what clinicians can do to help SEN children feel more comfortable in consulting rooms. Plus, Rachel Pilling, a Paediatric Ophthalmologist and Professor at the University of Bradford, explains why “success” in eye appointments should be measured against different metrics for SEN children. The most important outcome should be that patients are put on the pathway to lifelong eyecare. 



This podcast serves as a follow-up to the first Docet webinar in 2024: Assessing children with special educational needs, in which Rachel Pilling was the speaker. Rachel answers many of the questions optometrists asked in the webinar. Find Michelle and Rachel’s recommended reading materials by searching for “Sound Optometry” on the Docet website.



If you have a topic in mind that you’d like us to cover, or if you’ve got an interesting case study you’d like to share, send Docet a message on LinkedIn.



All GOC-registered optometrists can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality education and professional development to all UK registered optometrists.

36: SEN – The path to lifelong eyecare

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK, and the dry form is the most common type of the condition. In this episode, Michelle Hanratty visits a community practice in Harborne, Birmingham, to meet optometrist Bradley Warwick. Brad specialises in dry AMD, so Michelle and Brad discuss how to manage and counsel patients with the condition that currently has no treatment options. Later, one of Brad’s patients, Martin, joins the conversation to discuss how he copes with the gradual progression of dry AMD and geographic atrophy. 



Finally, Michelle looks to the future to find some good news: the first treatments for dry AMD became available in the US last year. Clare Bailey, a consultant ophthalmologist at Bristol Eye Hospital, explains how the treatments work, which patients they would be most suitable for and the role that optometrists would play in referring patients. The two treatments are not yet approved for use in the UK, but Clare explains that a decision should be made in 2024.



All GOC-registered optometrists can gain 1 CPD point by listening to this podcast and completing the exercise on our website. This episode covers the GOC domains of Communication and Clinical Practice. Docet - dedicated to providing quality education and professional development to all UK registered optometrists.

7: Speaking Up – Putting patients first

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