Optometry Scotland supports the Foundation Training Year (FTY) and welcomes confirmation that supervised GOS eye examinations will attract 100% of the applicable fee. However, practices still need essential information before they can assess whether hosting a placement would be financially and operationally viable.
Advice to practices
| OS does not recommend that practices complete and return the EOI at this stage. Although the EOI is described as non-binding, the EOI shared with OS only provides a mechanism for practices to indicate positive interest. It does not allow a practice to express conditional interest, explain that the current package would not be financially viable, identify changes that would enable participation, or record that it is unable to participate under the current model. |
Update: 11 September 2026
PSD Scotland has now launched the Foundation Training Year Expression of Interest for prospective placement providers.
We are aware that PSD Scotland has issued an Expression of Interest inviting practices to register for the Foundation Training Year. Registering is described as non-binding, but it may still be used to help assess placement capacity across Scotland.
Optometry Scotland does not recommend that members register at this stage until the outstanding questions above are resolved. We will update the sector as soon as further detail is confirmed.
If you are a business owner or decision maker and would like to simply join the PSD Scotland mailing list without proceeding through the EOI form, you can do so here Turas – FTY mailing list
The updated Placement Provider Terms confirm that the FTY will comprise two 24-week placement blocks, rather than the previously proposed 22-week blocks. Practices would employ and pay students for four days per week, normally 30 to 32 hours, with a protected learning and development day on the fifth day. Separate funding will also be available for mandatory Clinical Supervisor training.
The change to 24-week placements increases the period for which practices would meet employment and supervision costs by two weeks per block, while the overall £4,644 placement grant remains unchanged. OS is seeking clarification on how annual leave will be incorporated into the 24-week period and whether the additional costs have been accounted for within the financial model.
OS has written to Gillian Leslie, Deputy Director of Dentistry and Optometry at the Scottish Government, seeking urgent clarification on the outstanding issues and confirmation that the proposal will be reviewed if the EOI does not demonstrate sufficient and geographically representative participation.
OS’s position and advice to practices remain unchanged. Practices are encouraged to read the full position and advice below before deciding whether to respond.
Our Position
Optometry Scotland supports the Foundation Training Year and is committed to helping secure a model that can deliver high-quality training and attract sufficient placements across Scotland.
Following sustained engagement by OS and the wider sector, the Scottish Government has confirmed that supervised GOS eye examinations carried out by FTY students will attract 100% of the applicable fee. We welcome this important progress.
Under the current proposal, the FTY will comprise two 24-week placement blocks. The host practice would employ and pay the student for four days per week, normally 30 to 32 hours, with the student undertaking protected learning and development activity on the fifth day.
Practices would receive 100% of the applicable GOS fee and an overall placement grant of £4,644 across the two placement blocks. Separate funding will also be available for mandatory Clinical Supervisor training. The Scottish Government has confirmed that there will be no separate practice payment beyond these arrangements.
A number of essential questions remain unresolved, including:
- the full employer costs and contractual responsibilities associated with hosting a student
- arrangements where a placement changes, is extended or ends early
- the practical supervision requirement, including the role and capacity of IP-qualified supervisors
- clinical governance, indemnity, accountability and responsibility for patient care
- the impact on consulting-room capacity and day-to-day practice operations
- matching, absence, leave, performance and learner-support arrangements
- whether the model is viable for independent, small, rural and remote practices
- the final implementation timetable
- financial viability for students requiring to relocate for placements
Until this information is available, practices cannot reliably assess the financial and operational implications of taking part.
What OS is doing?
The responses received to date have not resolved the key employment, supervision, governance and viability questions. OS has written to Gillian Leslie, Deputy Director of Dentistry and Optometry at the Scottish Government, seeking urgent clarification on the outstanding issues and confirmation that the proposal will be reviewed if the EOI does not demonstrate sufficient and geographically representative participation. We will update members as soon as further information is confirmed.
Further information
For further information on the Foundation Training Year, please visit our Policy Hub, where you can find supporting information, including Foundation Training Year FAQs and a timeline of key events and developments.
Contact
For questions or to share evidence about how the proposed model would affect your practice, contact your OS representative, regional representative or email office@optometryscotland.org.uk.