GOC seeks views of business registrants

The regulator’s annual survey is open until 28 February

2 min read

The word ‘welcome’ is written in white letters at the bottom left of a wooden reception desk . Behind the reception desk, on a grey wall, the words ‘General Optical Council’ are printed. Within this title, the word ‘Optical’ is printed in white on a blue, raised circle.

20 February 2025

The General Optical Council (GOC) is calling on relevant practice owners to complete its annual business registrants survey.

Open until 28 February, the survey is designed to aid the GOC in better understanding optometry businesses, in particular the current issues practices are facing in order to better meet the needs of optical businesses in the future.

It is the second year that the regulator has run the survey, and in performing the research annually it hopes to be able to monitor how trends develop and change over time, particularly with a view to how regulation may need to adapt to support businesses to meet the needs of patients in a changing landscape, it highlighted.

Responses will also be considered within the GOC’s current review of business registration.

If you are a GOC business registrant, you can complete the survey online.

Findings from the GOC’s 2024 survey featured insight into the largest challenges faced by practices, which included rising costs due to economic conditions (89%), increasing wage pressures (88%) and government funding for sight tests (79%).

In the survey, respondents also identified recruitment as a challenge, with 63% disagreeing that they could easily recruit optometrists, and 51% disagreeing that they could easily recruit dispensing opticians.