The Sector Partnership for Optical Knowledge and Education (SPOKE) has published two new Indicative Guidance documents.
SPOKE is a cross-sector collaboration funded by the General Optical Council (GOC), led by The College of Optometrists, and managed by a steering group comprising representatives from the College, the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and the Optometry Schools Council (OSC).
The new Indicative Guidance documents are designed to support providers in developing qualifications to meet the GOC’s Education and Training Requirements for therapeutic prescribing contact lens specialisms. They are the first two project outputs from the specialist qualifications hub, which is being delivered by SPOKE.
They were developed with input from a wide range of sector stakeholders and provide more detail on the content that is expected to be in the new qualifications with examples of the types of assessment that could be used to address the new GOC outcomes.
Professor Lizzy Ostler, Director of Education for The College of Optometrists, says: "It is great to see the first two specialist projects come to fruition. The SPOKE team really appreciates the continuing interest and engagement from across the sector to bring the Education and Training Requirements to life.”
Samara Morgan, GOC Head of Education and CPD Development, said: “We are pleased to welcome these new Indicative Guidance documents and are grateful to all stakeholders involved that contributed to their development. We hope providers will find these documents useful when developing their specialist qualifications to meet the new Education and Training requirements.”
Now that the guidance has been published, SPOKE is working on its next project for the specialist qualifications, examining the conditions setting and support required to enhance the scope of practice in optical professionals. This was launched at the SPOKE collaborative writing and networking event on 23rd January and considers the challenges and opportunities arising from the increased flexibility in supervision, setting and timing for the specialist qualifications.
You can find out more information about SPOKE, via the website: www.spokehub.org.uk
Alternatively, you can contact SPOKE via email spokehub@college-optometrists.org
