Print Page
Standards
Professional standards and guidelines
AHPO seeks to promote the development common standards of practice in areas of interprofessional working. Professional organisations, NHS and private healthcare employers, government and the public all have a stake in the setting and maintaining standards for practice in healthcare. This page has information from a number of sources about standards and guidelines for practice in the ophthalmic sector.
National Occupational Standards and Skills for Health
Skills for Health (SfH) www.skillsforhealth.org.uk is the UK Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the whole health sector - NHS, independent and voluntary employers. It is licensed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and is funded through the four UK health departments, the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), the Education Act Regulatory Bodies and the sector.
Skills for Health works with employers and other stakeholders to ensure that those working in the sector are equipped with the right skills to support the development and delivery of healthcare services. Skills for Health does not provide training directly but sees education and training providers as some of their key partners. One of the main functions of Skills for Health is to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) and National Workforce Competences (NWC) for use within the health sector. The NOS/NWC development links, where applicable, to key government agendas across the four countries, such as National Service Frameworks, key targets, and the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) as part of Agenda for Change. Other functions held and delivered by Skills for Health include skills development and escalation, the NHS careers framework and work force development and review. Each dimension of the Knowledge and Skills Framework has four levels and the Skills for Health National Occupational Standards have been mapped to KSF levels.
Ophthalmic and Vision Science National Occupational Standards
Sixteen Ophthalmic and Vision Science (OVS) standards have been developed with the Healthcare Science Project and have been mapped to the Knowledge and Skills Framework. They can be found on the Skills for Health website at www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/view_framework.php?id=73 (This page takes a while to upload, and you then need to scroll down to HCS_OVS.) The 
OVS standards can also be downloaded here.
Thirteen of the OVS standards are included in the assessment for Foundation Degree in Ophthalmic Science & Technology.
Diabetic Retinopathy Screening National Occupational Standards
These are available on the Skills for Health website at www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/view_framework.php?id=75
Functional Map of the Ophthalmic Sector
This has been developed by AHPO and provides an overview of the range of competence required of all staff in the ophthalmic sector. The ophthalmic functional map can be downloaded here
AHPO guidelines
Links to sources for standards, guidelines and evidence-based practice
Royal College of Nursing, Competency Framework for Ophthalmic Nursing. The competency framework for Ophthalmic Nursing has been developed by the Ophthalmic Nursing Forum of the Royal College of Nursing pdf
Royal College of Ophthalmologists
www.rcophth.ac.uk/about/publications/
International Council of Ophthalmology
www.icoph.org/guide/index.html
National Institute of Clinical Excellence
www.nice.org.uk
Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group
www.cochraneeyes.org
International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV)
www.iscev.org/standards/proceduresguide.html
College of Optometrists
www.college-optometrists.org/index.aspx/pcms/site.publication.Home/
Association of British Dispensing Opticians
www.abdo.org.uk
European Glaucoma Society
www.eugs.org