British Association of Retinal Screening - BARS

14/08/2025

🚨 FINAL CALL – Poster Competition! 🚨
🗓️ Deadline: Friday 29th August 2025

Got research, an audit, or an innovative service improvement to share? 📊✨
This is your chance to showcase your work to the UK diabetic eye screening community at BARS 2025!

📏 Requirements:
✅ A0 portrait, printed poster
✅ PDF submission by the deadline
✅ Present in person during judging

🏆 Prizes Sponsored by Topcon:
🥇 £300 🥈 £150 🥉 £50

🔗 Entry form & details: www.eyescreening.org.uk/pages

📍 BARS 2025 – 23rd Annual Conference
Friday 19th September | Holiday Inn, Birmingham

Don’t miss your chance to shine – submit today! 💡👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️

11/08/2025

🎯 BARS 2025 – Last Chance for Tickets! 🎯

📅 Date: Friday 19th September 2025
📍 Venue: Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre

Join us for a jam-packed programme of talks, workshops, networking, and trade exhibitions including:

✨ Keynote from Professor Sarita Jacobs
✨ OCT Workshop with Mrs Samantha Mann & Professor Tunde Peto
✨ Insights from Diabetes UK – Together Type 1
✨ Updates from NHS England DESP leaders
✨ Plus, drinks & canapés to close the day 🍸

⏳ Ticket sales close on 31st August! Don’t miss out on your chance to be part of the UK’s biggest diabetic eye screening event of the year.

🎟️ Get your tickets now: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/britishassociationofretinalscreening1/1611246

01/08/2025

🚨 ONLY 10 TICKETS LEFT! 🚨
Our OCT Workshop at the BARS 2025 Conference is almost SOLD OUT! 👁️🔬

If you’re planning to attend and want to gain hands-on insight into OCT implementation in diabetic eye screening, now is the time to book! ⏳

📅 Friday 19th September 2025
📍 Holiday Inn, Birmingham City Centre
🎟️ Book here:

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/britishassociationofretinalscreening1/1611246

⚠️ OCT workshop spaces are strictly limited to 40 attendees – and we’ve only got 10 spots left!

Don’t miss out! Secure your place today

30/07/2025

📣 Hot off the press! The latest issue of the BARS Chronicle – Vol. 12 is now live! 📰✨

https://www.eyescreening.org.uk/pages/default.asp?id=29&scroll=pageInner

What’s inside? 👀
🔹 A welcome from our interim Co-Chair Zoe Tobin
🌐 A sneak peek at our brand new website – launching soon!
🧠 Have your say on the World Café topics
🧬 Fascinating case study on Oculocutaneous Albinism
🎟️ Full details on the 2025 BARS Conference in Birmingham

💬 Submit your questions for the Together Type 1 panel
🗳️ Vote on World Café themes
🏆 Learn how to enter the poster competition

🔗 Dive into all this and more now!

https://www.eyescreening.org.uk/pages/default.asp?id=29&scroll=pageInner

23/07/2025

📢 Important Update – Bank Details Change

Please be advised that BARS has recently updated its bank account details. The old account has now been closed. 🏦

If you’re part of a procurement or finance team working with us, please ensure you update your records accordingly.

📧 To request our official bank account update letter, please contact either:
💼 zoe.tobin@nhs.net
💼 charlottewallis@nhs.net

We appreciate your cooperation!

11/07/2025

⏰ TIME IS RUNNING OUT! ⏰
🎟️ Tickets for BARS Conference 2025 have you booked yours?

Join us on Friday 19th September 2025 at the Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre for a full day of expert talks, engaging workshops, and networking opportunities with colleagues across the diabetic eye screening community 👁️💬

✨ Highlights include:
👩‍⚕️ Keynote from Professor Sarita Jacob
🧑‍🎓 Young Leaders Panel – Diabetes UK Together Type 1
🧪 NHS England Updates & OCT Implementation
🍹 Drinks & canapé reception
🏆 Poster competition with £300 top prize!

🎫 Choose between:
🔷 General Admission + NHSE Workshop
🔷 General Admission + OCT Workshop (⚠️ Only a few places left!)

📲 Don’t delay – book now:
👉 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/britishassociationofretinalscreening1/1611246

03/07/2025

🎉 New Payment Option Now Available! 🎉

We’ve made things even easier – you can now choose to be invoiced instead of paying by card. Ideal for teams, organisations or anyone needing to go through a finance process.

👉 Just select “Invoice payment option” at checkout
🏦 Our new Lloyds Bank account details will be provided
📩 Need proof of the account change? Contact charlottewallis@nhs.net or zoe.tobin@nhs.net

Simple. Flexible. Stress-free. Just the way it should be. 🙌

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/britishassociationofretinalscreening1/1611246

03/07/2025

‘Artificial pancreas’ transforming the lives of thousands of children and young people with type 1 diabetes

HomeNewsNews articles‘Artificial pancreas’ transforming the lives of thousands of children and young people with type 1 diabetesThe innovative hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems offer improved blood sugar control and can transform daily life for families managing this complex condition. News16 Jun...

27/06/2025

🗓️ BARS Council Meeting – Today in Central London! 🇬🇧✨

The BARS Council – along with our newest members – is meeting today in Central London to finalise plans for this year’s 23rd Annual Conference! 🎓👁️

We’ve got an exciting line-up of speakers, sessions, and workshops in the works – and we can’t wait to share what’s coming your way! 🔥🎤🧠

Stay tuned… 👀 big announcements are just around the corner!

📅 Friday 19th September 2025
📍 Holiday Inn, Birmingham City Centre
🎟️ Tickets on sale now: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/britishassociationofretinalscreening1/1611246

25/06/2025

🎉 Tickets are LIVE for the BARS 2025 Conference! 🎉
📅 Friday 19th September 2025
📍 Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, B5 4EW

Join us for an inspiring, interactive and unmissable day of diabetic eye screening excellence! 🧠👁️
🎟️ Buy now: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/britishassociationofretinalscreening1/1611246

✨ What’s in store?
🎤 Keynote Speaker – Professor Sarita Jacob, Consultant Ophthalmologist
🧑‍⚕️ Diabetes UK Together Type 1 Panel – Young leaders share their lived experiences of diabetes & eye care
🔬 OCT in Screening – Ali Askari & Dr Susanne Althauser on implementation & challenges
🧠 Vitrectomy Case Studies – Mr Arijit Mitra, Consultant Ophthalmologist & VR Surgery Specialist
📢 Latest NHS England Updates – Kate Jordan
🧬 Concordia Study & Non-Caucasian Trial – Professor Peter Scanlon

🍹 Drinks & Canapé Reception included!

🎯 Plus:
🏆 Poster Competition (sponsored by Topcon)
🥇 £300 🥈 £150 🥉 £50
📏 A0 portrait, printed & presented
📅 Deadline: 29th August 2025
📝 Enter at: www.eyescreening.org.uk

20/06/2025

📣 Help Shape the BARS World Café!

We’re planning five interactive discussion themes for this year’s BARS World Café 🧠☕ – and we’d love your input ahead of the conference on Friday 19th September 2025!

👇 Reply with your top 5 choices from the list below:

1️⃣ OCT implementation – benefits, challenges & QA
2️⃣ Patient experience & feedback – making it meaningful
3️⃣ GLP-1 management – screening requests & support
4️⃣ Health inequalities – focus on 20–40-year-olds
5️⃣ R2 grading & multi-field imaging
6️⃣ Data & Standards Masterclass
7️⃣ Guidance clinic – navigating DES guidance

✅ Who can vote?
Anyone working in or passionate about diabetic eye screening – screeners, graders, clinicians, programme leads, failsafe officers – your views matter!

🗓️ Deadline to vote: Friday 25th July
📅 BARS Conference: Friday 19th September 2025

💡 Got another suggestion? Drop it in the comments or reply to this post – we’re open to new ideas!

19/06/2025

Hot weather and diabetes ☀️

With temperatures increasing across the UK this week, many are looking forward to enjoying the sunshine! But if you have diabetes, it can be harder to manage your blood glucose (sugar) levels in the hot weather.

Here are a few things you may want to keep in mind if you're living with diabetes 👉 https://orlo.uk/xeHKC

Be safe, and enjoy! 😎