08 July 2025
New draft General Optical Council (GOC) guidance on maintaining appropriate sexual boundaries and caring for patients in vulnerable circumstances were among items discussed at the latest meeting of the optical regulator (25 June, held online).
Other topics discussed during the meeting included findings from an annual public perception survey and an evaluation of the 2022-2024 CPD cycle.
Below, OT presents a summary of key issues explored during the meeting.
1 Progress made on proposed reforms to the regulation of optical businesses
At the meeting, the GOC council approved the regulator’s response to a consultation on changes to the framework for regulating optical businesses.
The consultation, which took place between October 2024 and January 2025, received 99 responses.
After analysing feedback received through the consultation, the optical regulator has decided that all optical businesses, as well as charities and university eye clinics, providing specified restricted functions should be regulated by the GOC.
The GOC is moving ahead with its proposal that all registered businesses should have a head of optical practice and business registrants should be required to participate in a mediation service for consumer disputes.
A statement from the GOC confirmed that the optical regulator will not pursue the introduction of a power to visit optical practices during the course of a fitness to practise investigation.
“Council acknowledged benefits to this power but also highlighted concerns; for example, a lack of clarity on how this power would be used and issues around costs,” the statement noted.
All of the changes to business regulation are dependent on legislative reform – with the UK Government ultimately determining whether and when any of the reforms will be implemented.
Six ways the regulation of optical businesses could change
Many more businesses would be regulated under GOC proposals
2 GOC to consult on draft guidance about caring for vulnerable patients and maintaining appropriate sexual boundaries
The optical regulator approved a consultation on draft guidance on caring for patients in vulnerable circumstances and maintaining appropriate sexual boundaries with patients and colleagues.
The guidance outlines how a series of factors shape an individual’s vulnerability, including their personal characteristics and life circumstances, as well as the actions of eye care professionals and businesses.
The guidance also outlines appropriate boundaries between registrants and provides clarity on why registrants must not treat patients who they are in a sexual relationship with.
The consultation on the guidance, which supports the GOC’s updated registrant standards, will begin in summer 2025.
How the GOC Standards of Practice will change from 1 January 2025
OT presents seven key takeaway messages from a GOC council discussion of refreshed standards for optometrists
3 Optical Consumer Complaints Service publishes annual report
Trends from the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) annual report for 2024–2025 were outlined at the GOC meeting.
A statement from the GOC highlighted that around one in four (27%) complaints made to the GOC were referred to the OCCS for a mediated resolution.
Over the year, the OCCS dealt with 1679 complaints – a 4.3% reduction on the previous period.
The proportion of unsuccessful mediations reduced over the period from 21% of all OCCS complaints in 2023–2024, to 3% of all complaints in 2024–2025.
The number of domiciliary complaints decreased from 98 in 2023–2024 to 53 in 2024–2025.
4 Research explores optometry as the ‘first port of call’ for eye problems
An annual GOC survey exploring how members of the public view optometry has explored national differences in where people would go if they woke up with an eye problem.
More than half (53%) of those asked this question in Scotland and Wales said they would go to their optometrist. In Northern Ireland and England, a lower proportion of respondents said they would visit an optometry practice, at 44% and 33% respectively.
The survey found that patients have more confidence in a high standard of care within optometry practices compared to other primary care providers.
Of those surveyed, 93% reported being confident in receiving a high standard of care within an optometry practice – a higher level of trust than they placed in pharmacy (86%), dental practice (80%) or GP practice (79%).
The GOC also discussed qualitative research on the lived experience of vulnerable people accessing eye care.
5 CPD audit finds drop in the number of registrants not meeting requirements
An audit of the 2022–2024 CPD cycle presented at the GOC meeting outlined how there was a reduction in the number of registrants not meeting CPD requirements compared to the previous cycle.
“The cycle should be judged as successful based on fewer registrants failing to meet their requirements compared to the previous cycle, especially as registrants needed to adapt to significant new requirements,” a statement from the GOC highlighted.
In 2022–2024, 585 registrants did not meet their CPD requirements – compared to 719 registrants in the previous cycle.
Of the 585 registrants who did not meet points requirements in the most recent cycle, 260 notified the GOC of their intention to retire or withdraw from the register.
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