About the LOC

Essex LOC is funded by Ophthalmic Contractors in the Essex area and acts on behalf of the Contractors, Performers, and others registered with the GOC in dealing with the NHS.

Membership of the Committee is  at least 25% Contractors and at least 25% Performers plus the Committee can co-opt from outside this group, eg Dispensing Opticians, to give a diverse balance.

Objectives of Essex LOC are to:

  • Promote the profession to all stakeholders in the county
  • Promote Enhanced Services to all parts of the county
  • Communicate with Commissioners of Health Services
  • Inform the profession about relevant changes in the Health Service
  • Facilitate training for Enhanced Services
  • Facilitate contract compliance by contractors and performers
  • Be the first point of contact for practitioners seeking help with disputes and complaints via NHS.
  • Facilitate Peer Reviews and other statutory training requirements for GOC and NHS

Essex LOC aims to promote Enhanced Services in certain clinical fields:

  1. Glaucoma Referral Refinement
  2. Post Cataract Services
  3. Community shared care Glaucoma services
  4. Minor Eye Conditions (eg Red Eye)
  5. Certain visual conditions affecting Children
  6. LVA provision

Optometrists’ core skills are vastly under-used in a GOS sight test, and Essex LOC believes that tapping into this resource in the Community will bring benefits to all stakeholders: Commissioners saving money; Hospitals freeing up acute appointments and reducing waiting times; patients getting seen in the Community more conveniently with greater accessibility; practitioners getting more involved with treatment of their patients. For more details please see “Enhanced Services” page in Website.

LOC Documents
Abbreviations – a useful list of the numerous acronyms & abbreviations used