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Background to the General Optical Council

The General Optical Council (GOC) is one of 13 organisations in the UK known as health and social care regulators. These organisations oversee the health and social care professions by regulating individual professionals. The GOC are the regulator for the optical professions in the UK.

Registration with the General Optical Council

Optometrists and dispensing opticians must be registered with the General Optical Council (GOC) to practise in the UK. The GOC publish registers of all optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians, and optical businesses who are qualified and fit to practise, train or carry on business.

Investigation by the General Optical Council

The GOC describe one of their main functions as public protection. They have statutory powers under the Opticians Act that enable them to take action against registrants who do not meet the requisite standards they set for performance, education and conduct.

Adjudication by the General Optical Council

If at a hearing, the committees decide that a registrant’s fitness to practise is impaired after making findings on factual allegations, they can impose sanctions on that registrant. Those sanctions include erasure from the registers, suspension from the register, conditional registration, a financial penalty or a warning.

Interim Orders by the General Optical Council

If the Committee deems that the practitioner represents a risk to themselves, the public and/or patent safety, they will refer the case to the respective Committee with a recommendation that an interim order should be imposed.

Appeals to and restoration by the General Optical Council

It is possible to appeal the decision of a Committee. There is a 28 day time limit for appeals (to High Court) starting with date on which notification of decision was served. The decision will not take effect until either the appeal period expires or the appeal is determined.

Tips on Dealing with the General Optical Council

Details of some of the issues you should bear in mind when dealing with the General Optical Council