DOCET is a special Committee set up by the Department of Health in 1989 to oversee the management of government funds set aside for the provision of optometric continuing education and training for all UK registered optometrists.
Funds are made available to DOCET by the Departments of Health in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under the provisions of Section 63 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
DOCET’s responsibilities are
- Making Continuing Education and Training (CET) available to every optometrist in the UK in a ‘user friendly’ form: CET content should assist the profession in meeting the eye care needs of the population more effectively and efficiently
- Measuring the effectiveness and validity of CET
- Encouraging innovation and experimentation in the way in which CET is delivered to the profession, having regard to the need for cost efficiency and value for money
In addition to producing and distributing distance learning material, DOCET funds a number of locally organised refresher courses, conferences, lectures and workshops all around the country.
The funds are only available to General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) contractors.
1. WHAT DOCET DOES AND DOES NOT FUND
1.1 Topics included in DOCET-funded CET events must be related to the provision of primary health care services; in simple terms this means that topics should be clinical in nature. Optometric education providers are encouraged to link subject matters to DOCET priorities. For 2007-2008 these are:
– Therapeutics
– Referral Criteria
– Conjunctivitis/Keratoconjunctivitis
– The 4 DH Pathways (Glaucoma, AMD, Cataract and Low Vision)
– The Anterior Eye
– Clinical Skills
– Record Keeping
– PDPs
– Flashes and Floaters
The application form requires that for every lecture and/or workshop the DOCET priorities that will be met are stated. DOCET funds are limited and, as such, applications for funding of events that do not relate to the provision of primary optometric health care services are not normally considered. Examples of areas unlikely to be funded include practice management, optical politics, rare, unusual, controversial, HES (Hospital Eye Service) or cosmetic procedures (e.g. therapeutic CLs; Orthokeratology; laser refractive surgery).
If an event is planned which includes some lectures or workshops that fall outside of DOCET’s remit then the amount payable will be reduced proportionally.
1.2 DOCET funds can be made available for subject matter within, and in some cases outside, the GOS provided by registered optometrists. However, if an event is going to be made available to others (such as pre-registration trainees, dispensing opticians, etc.) then the overhead costs will be reduced in proportion to the number of non-optometrists attending.
1.3 The maximum DOCET funding for any one event is £5000. Lecturer and workshop leader fees are capped at £180 per hour. Please note that the full amount paid to lecturers and workshop leaders must be entered into the Course Overhead Expenses to be met by DOCET section; the surplus should not be entered into the Actual Overheads not met by DOCET area - claim forms will be manually adjusted if this happens.
1.4 DOCET will fund:
- Lecturer/workshop leader fees
- Reasonable lecturer/workshop leader travel costs
- Room hire and equipment costs
- EITHER advertising OR mail shot costs
- Payments to patients
1.5 DOCET will not fund:
- Administrative costs
- Refreshments
- Surplus lecturer/workshop leader fees
- Any other costs incurred
1.6 It is recognised that in many cases profit made from the organisation of CET events will be used to support further CET activities. However, DOCET does not allow an operating profit of more than 40% of the overhead costs that are not funded by DOCET. This means that if the Revenue Received amount is more than the Actual Overheads not met by DOCET amount plus 40%, the surplus profit will be deducted from the final amount paid.
2. APPLYING FOR DOCET FUNDING
2.1 Applications for DOCET funding will only be accepted via the electronic form available on the DOCET website (www.docet.info).
2.2 The DOCET financial year is split into two periods. Each has its time limit for submitting and receiving funding for events, as follows:
PERIOD 1 EVENTS APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP APPLY FOR PERIOD 2 PERIOD 2 EVENTS OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APPLY FOR PERIOD 1
Applications cannot be accepted if they fall outside these time periods.
2.3 Applications are considered by the DOCET Secretariat, and DOCET will normally inform applicants of the outcome within four weeks of receipt.
2.4 Appeals against the decision of the Secretariat may be made in writing to the Chairman of the DOCET Committee at the DOCET office.
2.5 If an event will run for two or more days (e.g. a conference) one application form should be submitted to cover the whole event.
2.6 If an event will be run on a number of different days (e.g. a lecture series) a separate application form must be submitted for each date. However, the forms will be treated as one application and will be submitted to the panel of approvers collectively, which will cut down on the length of time taken to approve the applications and ensure consistency. This process will only be allowed, however, if each event is identical in terms of content and lecturer.
2.7 Completed DOCET Funding Application Forms will be reviewed by the DOCET administration team. If it is apparent that a form has been incorrectly completed (for example an item appears in the non-DOCET funded section that should be in the DOCET funded section) the application will be amended and the applicant informed in writing. This may affect the total amount paid.
2.8 If the scheduled date of the event changes after submission of the Application Form, DOCET must be informed in writing immediately. If this does not occur promissory funding may be withdrawn or re-allocated.
2.9 Applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application. If the application is successful it will be allocated a reference number which must be entered on the funding claim form. Successful applicants will be notified only after the DOCET office has received confirmation from Vantage Technologies that CET approval has been granted. (Please note that although the CET application form on the CETOptics website has a tick box to specify whether DOCET funding will also be applied for, Vantage does not supply DOCET with any information given on the CET application form.)
3. CLAIMING DOCET FUNDING
3.1 Funding Claim Forms must be received by the College within six weeks of completion of the event (this will be the last day of an event if it runs over several days).
3.2 Proof of expenditure must be supplied for each amount claimed – this also applies to expenses that will not be met by DOCET.
3.3 If the total claim varies significantly from the amount given on the Funding Application Form a written explanation must accompany the form.
3.4 Any claims which are not submitted correctly or on time may have promissory funding withdrawn. If providers have concerns they should contact the DOCET administration team before the six-week deadline.
3.5 All other sources of funding must be declared.
3.6 Claims will usually be met in full, however DOCET reserves the right to adjust any claim and/or to pay only a proportion of the claim. This will occur in cases where the percentage of non-optometrists attending, an excess operating profit or the capping policy necessitate an alteration to the final figure. Applicants will be given written reasons when this occurs.
4. FURTHER INFORMATION
For further details please email docet@college-optometrists.org, telephone 020 7766 4380 or write to:
DOCET
c/o The College of Optometrists
42 Craven Street
London
WC2N 5NG
