GOC meets all PSA standards for third year running

For the third year in a row, the General Optical Council (GOC) has met all standards set by the body responsible for its oversight, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

The optical regulator was assessed across a range of areas, including fitness to practise, education and training, and registration, as part of its PSA performance review. The GOC met all 18 Standards of Good Regulation during the monitoring period, which ran from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.

In a statement on the PSA website, the authority highlighted that the optical regulator had displayed examples of good practice when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) – including by using the findings of registrant and public perception surveys to inform GOC work.

However, the PSA identified there were opportunities for improvement around supporting registrants to improve their EDI knowledge and skills.

The GOC does not prescribe CPD for registrants on EDI, or produce and signpost registrants to EDI resources, the PSA stated.

The PSA acknowledged that the optical regulator has already identified this gap and is taking steps to address the issue.

Reflecting on the accuracy of the GOC register, the PSA highlighted that there were a “small number of errors” that were concerning because they gave rise to public protection issues.

However, the PSA shared that on each occasion the GOC acted quickly to correct the register, investigate the causes and put measures in place to prevent and detect any further occurrences.

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For the second year in a row, the optical regulator has met all 18 Standards of Good Regulation set by the Professional Standard Authority

Assessing the GOC’s performance when it comes to quality-assuring education, the PSA highlighted that it received positive feedback about the optical regulator’s approach.

Some concerns were also raised about the process – including relating to the transparency and proportionality of the quality assurance process.

“We did not identify any public protection risks arising from the concerns, but they are similar to concerns we have received in the past,” the PSA highlighted.

“We will use our periodic review next year to explore this area of the GOC’s work in more depth including the issues raised by stakeholders,” the PSA stated.

Reflecting on the GOC’s consultation and engagement performance, the PSA highlighted: “Stakeholders continue to be very positive about the way the GOC consults and works with them.”

The PSA will monitor the implementation of the GOC’s new standards and corporate strategy, which came into effect in 2025.

While concerns were raised about delays in fitness to practise investigations by two organisations, the PSA highlighted that the GOC’s median timeframes for investigations remain some of the shortest among health and social care regulators.

“We will continue to monitor the data and stakeholder feedback closely,” the PSA shared.

Reflecting on the PSA report, GOC chief executive and registrar, Leonie Milliner, highlighted: “The report affirms that we are fulfilling our mission to protect the public by upholding high standards in eye care services. Our research to better understand registrants’ experiences has been a real highlight, alongside our work in EDI and the positive engagement with stakeholders in our work to revise and update our professional standards.”

Head of professional discipline at the AOP, Scott Shadbolt, welcomed the findings of the latest PSA report.

“It is encouraging that the GOC have continued to meet the PSA Standards of Good Regulation in the latest review period,” he shared.

“We are however mindful that there remain areas of the GOC’s work which may not fall within the scrutiny of the PSA’s review. The PSA also identified some areas which could be improved on. Over the past year, the AOP team have worked closely with the GOC to raise awareness of such areas and will continue to do so over the next 12 months. We look forward to working collaboratively with the GOC to ensure that the regulator continues to operate appropriately and fairly,” he highlighted.