43% of GOC registrants on track to meet their CPD requirements

The General Optical Council (GOC) has revealed that at the half-way point in the current 2025–2027 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) cycle, as of the end of June, 43% of registrants were on track to meet their general point requirements.

This represents more than 10,900 optometrists and dispensing opticians registered with the GOC.

The regulator is now encouraging registrants to review their CPD progress, and complete and log all activity that they take, as well as completing CPD regularly.

The GOC also reported that nearly four in five registrants have completed a personal development plan (PDP), leaving around 5300 registrants yet to do so, despite it being a mandatory part of the CPD cycle.

The GOC shared that trends show that in previous cycles many registrants complete a large proportion of their CPD activity towards the end of the cycle. It emphasised that spreading learning and development activities throughout the cycle can “help registrants get more value from CPD and avoid a last-minute rush to complete their requirements.”

With 18 months to go until the end of the CPD cycle, the GOC is asking registrants who have not yet completed a PDP to do so over the summer.

It emphasised that “a completed PDP can help registrants identify development priorities, plan future CPD activity and track their progress over the remainder of the cycle.”

The GOC’s director of regulatory strategy, Steve Brooker, said: “Reaching the halfway point of the cycle provides a useful opportunity for registrants to reflect on the progress they have made and consider what they still need to do by the end of 2027.”

Brooker highlighted that it was encouraging that slightly more registrants have reached at least half of their general points requirement than at the same stage in the last cycle, adding: “Experience shows that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ – it’s better for registrants to undertake and log their CPD activities regularly throughout the cycle rather than face a last-minute rush to complete their requirements at the end of the cycle.”

Brooker noted that the mandatory PDP “is an important tool that helps registrants identify learning needs and plan their professional development.”

On self-directed CPD, Brooker said that it could provide practitioners with a valuable way of supporting their development and accumulating points.

“Activities such as reading professional journals, attending webinars, undertaking further study, teaching and volunteering are some examples of the many things that can count towards self-directed CPD points – the key test is whether they contribute to learning that can be applied to professional practice,” he said.

OT clinical editor and AOP head of education and clinical partnerships, Dr Ian Beasley, acknowledged that the halfway point in the CPD cycle “can be an easy time to lose momentum,” describing that “the enthusiasm of the first year has often faded, while the urgency of the final year hasn’t quite set in.”

“Now is the perfect opportunity to review your progress and make the most of the wide range of flexible CPD opportunities available through AOP events and OT,” he emphasised.

Registrants can access guidance and resources on CPD, PDPs and self-directed CPD on the GOC’s website.