Five insights from the General Optical Council

The ongoing effects of political volatility on the General Optical Council (GOC) and a discussion paper on registrant fees were among topics explored at the latest meeting of the optical regulator (11 March, held online).

The GOC discussed the outcome of the Professional Standard Authority’s latest performance review of the optical regulator – which saw the GOC meet all Standards of Good Regulation for the fourth year in a row. Below, OT presents a selection of takeaways from the meeting.

1 GOC discusses potential changes to registrant fees

The GOC is seeking the views of optometrists and dispensing opticians on a discussion paper that explores different options for setting registrant fees.

The optical regulator considers imposing different fees for different groups – such as lower fees for dispensing opticians and newly qualified registrants, as well as higher fees for registrants with additional qualifications.

GOC director of regulatory strategy, Steve Brooker, highlighted that the GOC is not making any specific proposals at this stage.

“However, we will be hosting it on our consultation platform,” he said.

“We seek to encourage debate between stakeholders who may hold differing or opposing views. It will be a really useful opportunity to have conversations with registrants about our approach to setting fees that can only improve transparency around how the GOC works and create engagement around our fee setting process,” Brooker highlighted.

Dispensing optician and GOC member, William Stockdale, referred to data from a recent ABDO survey that shows dispensing optician salaries generally range between £28,000 and £34,000.

“The fee paid by a dispensing optician may be seen to be much higher as a proportion of their salary than it is for an optometrist,” he said.

Optometrist and GOC member, Poonam Sharma, highlighted that she did not want a higher GOC fee to discourage people from pursuing additional qualifications.

“I’m not convinced that there is enough evidence that independent prescribers are a higher risk. As the GOC, we want to be encouraging higher qualifications to support public confidence and public protection,” she said.

Sharma added that that there may be additional administrative costs associated with implementing differential fees.

GOC lay member, Kalwant Grewal, highlighted the need for an equality impact assessment to be conducted to identify any potential risks of indirect discrimination.

“There may be differential impacts across gender, ethnicity, age and employment status,” he said.

The discussion paper on registrant fees will be published on the GOC’s consultation hub in April, with the optical regulator to receive feedback over a three-month period.

2 The optical regulator has met all of the PSA Standards of Good Regulation for the fourth year in a row

GOC members congratulated the optical regulator on the latest PSA performance review – which saw the optical regulator achieve all 18 Standards of Good Regulation.

GOC equality, diversity and inclusion manager, Joanna Murphy, reflected on the role that the optical regulator’s EDI action plan will play in continuing to meet PSA requirements.

She shared that there is a focus on delivering evidence of fair outcomes.

“The intention is not simply to deliver training activity, but to ensure colleagues and decision makers are supported to navigate complex regulatory issues fairly and consistently in practice,” she said.

“The action plan strengthens our evidence base, and continues to embed equality, diversity and inclusion within how the GOC regulates and operates,” Murphy observed.

3 The Government has asked regulators to consider how they will support safe AI innovation

General Optical Council chief of staff, Andy Mackay-Sim, told the meeting that the Government has written to 18 regulators requesting that they publish a plan by May detailing how they will support safe artificial intelligence (AI) innovation.

“That list has gone to a broad mix of regulators and covers the full breadth of regulatory functions across the UK,” he said.

“We've not had that letter ourselves yet, but I would anticipate the Government at some point will be asking us to produce a plan alongside the other health and social care regulators,” Mackay-Sim said.

He added that the GOC is also exploring how the regulator will utilise AI as an organisation.

“We’ve had some conversations internally to make sure we’ve got the appropriate governance in place,” Mackay-Sim shared.

“I think it is fair to say that, as with most people and businesses, we are feeling a little bit on the back foot. That is a reflection of how quickly AI has accelerated,” he said.

4 What market instability created by conflict in the Middle East means for the GOC

GOC chief financial officer, Manori Wickremasinghe, noted that while the current international instability is “uncharted territory,” financial institutions have prior experience of dealing with periods of flux.

“They have already built up a plan, especially after the pandemic and the Ukraine war. They are much more prepared, and we can see that in the economy,” Wickremasinghe said.

She noted that the conflict in the Middle East may affect inflation.

“At the GOC, we are monitoring this very closely with our investment managers and bankers,” Wickremasinghe shared.

GOC lay member, Tim Parkinson, highlighted that the longer the conflict lasts in the Middle East, the more challenges there will be from a market perspective.

“It’s not just the impact on our investments, it's the impact on fuel prices, on energy prices, on general inflation and business confidence,” he said.

GOC director of corporate services, Marc Stoner, highlighted that renewal rates were slightly ahead of where they were at the same time last year.

“I think that is a positive certainly for the next financial year, but also we are constantly looking for efficiencies,” he said.

5 The GOC will be in (planned) deficit for the upcoming year

The meeting approved the GOC’s business plan and budget for 2026–2027, with the optical regulator operating in deficit.

Stoner highlighted that the deficit was planned for as part of the GOC 2025–2030 financial strategy.

He added that the deficit is fully funded through the collection of fees and funds within reserves.

“We feel that this approach really does balance the need for continued investment in our core regulatory functions, the stabilisation of our workforce, digital and systems transformations, whilst also ensuring value for registrants and maintaining a below-inflation fee increase,” he emphasised.