Representing members' interests
We represent your interests at a local and national level
Our members are at the heart of what we do. We represent you in a variety of ways and carry out work on our own as well as in partnership with other organisations.
Our Council gives you a voice
Our Council actively engages members via our online community forums and face-to-face meetings. It’s our Councillors’ job to ensure your voice and interests are the basis for all our policy-making, decisions and campaign work. Every Council meeting discusses important issues. Optometry Today (OT) reports on the ideas discussed at Council and we also report through the community forums and ask for members' views on what has been discussed.
We lobby - both on our own and with others
We lobby decision-makers like Government and the General Optical Council on any topics that affect our members: for example, education, business standards, data protection, and NHS Commissioning.
Sometimes we do this jointly with other optical bodies like the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), the Federation of (Ophthalmic and Dispensing) Opticians (FODO) and the College of Optometrists, and sometimes with bodies representing other primary care professions like pharmacy and dentistry. We also work with charities such as the RNIB and Seeability.
We’re also members of the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC), the recognised body for General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) fees and grants for community optometry. We work alongside colleagues from ABDO, the British Medical Association (BMA) and FODO to negotiate fees and grants for GOS.
We respond to consultations when we think there is value in doing so
We are consulted by government, the General Optical Council (GOC), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other bodies on a wide-range of topics, including professional standards, clinical guidance or regulation. Find out more about our consultation work.