The AOP concentrates a great deal of effort on keeping up to date with GOS regulations and on working with the Department of Health to ensure that the regulations are clear and workable. This section of the website hosts information about GOS provision throughout the UK. Please see the sub-menu on the left of this page for the category you require.

AOP website: In Practice

Additional information and guidance which specifically relates to optical practice can be found in the In Practice section of the website.

AOP website: Member Services/Legal

Details relating to the AOP legal defence package and the raft of legislation which has a bearing on your professional life can be found in the Member Services/Legal  section of the website, under 'Legal defence' and 'Legislation'.

AOP website: Member Offers

In the 'MemberServices/Legal section of the website, under Member Offers there is a range of services which you might find useful.

Quality in Optometry - contract compliance and clinical governance

The representative optical bodies have developed a toolkit, which incorporates guidance on GOS contract compliance and clinical governance for the profession, set against the Department of Health's document 'Standards for Better Health'.  It is a comprehensive, web-based guide offering practical help and advice, including links to a host of support documents and websites, to enable practitioners be contract compliant and to establish a firm, clinical governance routine to suit their requirements.  

Please click here for further information.

You can also access the toolkit via its designated website, Quality in Optometry, http://www.qualityinoptometry.co.uk 

For Advice:

If you require advice on any aspect of the regulations governing the provision of eye care by optometrists, please contact:

Richard Carswell (AOP Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Regulatory Affairs: richardcarswell@aop.org.uk

Geoff Roberson (AOP Professional Adviser): geoffroberson@aop.org.uk  

Patricia O'Sullivan (AOP Head of Primary Care): patriciaosullivan@aop.org.uk 

Statutory Instruments

Please click here for a link to all published Statutory Instruments from 1987 onwards.  Since June 2004 onwards an Explanatory Memorandum, setting out a brief statement of the purpose of an instrument and providing information about its policy objective and policy implications, has been produced to accompany any Statutory Instrument or Draft Statutory Instrument laid before Parliament. The aim is to publish these documents simultaneously with their publication in printed form