Freedom of Information Act 2000

Every public authority, as defined in the Freedom of Information Act 2000, is required to have a publication scheme. A publication scheme sets out the public authority’s commitment to provide information to the public, to publish information, to make it possible for information to be easily identified and accessed, and to review and update that information regularly. For this purpose, optometrists and dispensing opticians in receipt of GOS payments are deemed to be public authorities.

The Information Commissioner has written a Publication Scheme which is the only approved scheme for opticians in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The AOP, ABDO and FODO have produced the document below, which, the Information Commissioner has confirmed, complies with the approved scheme. Practitioners can download the document and personalise it by adding their own practice details in the areas written in blue.

All practices must have a publication scheme - by law.

Domiciliary providers may have to make further amendments to this document because of the different ways in which they practise. Making such amendments as are necessary should not be onerous.

Optometry Scotland has produced a scheme for use by practices in Scotland. Click on thepdf file below to download it. This scheme is approved for a four year period (until 31 May 2014).

Please click here for full details of the Act.