The LOCSU Podcast

In this podcast, LOCSU Clinical Director Zoe Richmond, is joined by Wojciech Karwatowski, Chair of the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCEHC), to discuss the development of an exciting new standard specification for minor and urgent eye care. 

Together they explore the importance of building upon the well-established pockets of excellence in England to help commissioners get the best outcomes for patients through maximising delivery of care on high street.

For details of LOCs and LOCSU please go to www.locsu.co.uk

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness but it doesn't have to be. 

In this podcast LOCSU CEO Janice Foster and Clinical Director Zoe Richmond speak to one half of 'The Hairy Bikers' Dave Myers about the importance of regular sight tests. 

For details of LOCs and LOCSU please go to www.locsu.co.uk

In this podcast LOCSU Chair Dr Joy Tweed introduces us to the new clinical Board Directors. 

Jagdeep Singh; Roma Malik; Millie Fellows; and Sofia Fazal  joined after a recruitment campaign held earlier this year. 

For details of LOCs and LOCSU please go to www.locsu.co.uk

In this LOCSU podcast we focus on Low Vision and the role of primary eyecare in meeting patient need locally and collaboratively, working within multidisciplinary teams.

Our Clinical Director Zoe Richmond is joined by two portfolio career Optometrists, experts in this field, Dr Louise Gow and Ms Rukaiya Anwar.

 Dr Louise Gow is clinical lead for eye health, Optometry and Low vision for RNIB and works as a specialist optometrist at Seeability special schools eye care service and St Thomas low vision service. Louise has a special interest in autism and eye care.

 Ms Rukaiya Anwar is an Optometric Advisor and Training Lead specialising in low vision for Health Education & Improvement Wales. She also works as a clinical Lead for Primary Eyecare Services and led the expert LOCSU clinical advisory group to develop the LOCSU Low Vision resources.

For details of LOCs and LOCSU please go to www.locsu.co.uk

We promised you we would catch up with Lyndon Taylor who recently retired from optometry after over four decades and from Cheshire LOC having served the LOC for around 30 years. 

Digital Learning Support Officer  Simone Mason chats to Lyndon and also to fellow optometrist and newer member of Cheshire LOC Fionnuala Kidd with a special episode on succession planning for LOCs. 

Simone unpicks the importance of succession planning, so you'll gain some key suggestions to inform your own LOC's future succession plan.

For details of LOCs and LOCSU please go to www.locsu.co.uk

For World Glaucoma Week, LOCSU's Clinical Director, Zoe Richmond talks about Glaucoma.

 In this brief podcast Zoe urges the public to actively seek a sight test, advising that the routine sight test is the best way to detect glaucoma early. There is no cure for glaucoma, but a diagnosis of glaucoma does not need to mean sight is lost. Within a routine sight test, the optometrist will perform the necessary glaucoma checks.

For details of LOCs and LOCSU please go to www.locsu.co.uk

International Women's Day 2023 #EmbraceEquity

You can't be what you can't see.

This is the mantra of one of our inspirational women leading the way in optics. In this special, female focussed edition of the LOCSU podcast, Janice Foster (LOCSU CEO) is joined by optical professionals Farah Awan, Danielle Ellis and Simone Mason.

Together they explore how the optical sector and LOCs are ahead of the curve when it comes to women in leadership roles.  We learn about the great opportunities LOCs bring, the pleasure working in primary eye care can bring, the importance of striking a work life balance and the great women who have inspired Farah, Danielle and Simone to strive for their success.

For details of LOCs and LOCSU please go to www.locsu.co.uk

To coincide with the #YourLOC campaign we invited three LOC committee members from around the country to share their experiences. What followed was an insightful exchange of views on how they joined, what they enjoy about being part of the committee, how they manage the workload and the opportunity for LOCs in the future.

Eyecare for people with learning difficulties has always been a challenge. But the pandemic has made reaching out to this group even harder. In this podcast LOCSU's CEO Richard Whittington talks to Lisa Donaldson from SeeAbility, and Grace McGill who gives a firsthand account of what it's like to visit an optometrist with a learning disability. LOCSU's interim clinical director Zoe Richmond also discusses a new clinical pathway available for commissioning. 

CUES is the immediate future, but is the National Outpatient Transformation Programme what comes after that? That's what we try and discover in this podcast presented by LOCSU CEO Richard Whittington. Richard is joined by Zoe Richmond, LOCSU's interim clinical director, and Claire Roberts from NHS England, who is a clinical lead on the NOTP. Zoe works with Claire on the Eye Care Steering Group sharing the experience of LOCSU.