Group B: GOC registered optometrist/GMC registered OMP who operates in a practice as a partnership with another registered optometrist/OMP, dispensing optician or lay person.
Group C: GOC registered optometrist who operates in a practice as a director of a limited company
which is not on the GOC bodies corporate list.
Group D: GOC registered dispensing optician who operates in a practice as a director of a limited company which is not on the GOC bodies corporate list.
Group E: GOC registered dispensing optician who operates in a practice as a sole trader.
Group F: GOC registered dispensing optician who operates in a practice in a partnership agreement with another registered dispensing optician or a lay person.
The practice has two choices:
1 Write to the PCT to take advantage of the grandfathering clause. This will allow registration onto the ophthalmic list where none of the directors or partners are optometrists or OMPs. They need to set up an agreement with an employed optometrist/OMP to take this route.
2 Enter the GOC list of body corporates. You will need to fill in form ‘D’ obtained from the GOC. As long as the majority of directors are registered Opticians you can go down this route. If any of the directors are optometrists they will need to join the PCT supplementary list.
If the practice wishes to take advantage of the grandfathering clause they need to inform the PCT as soon as possible. The actual date set was March 31 2005 but lots of PCTs are still accepting this.
Do take proper legal advice before entering a grandfathering agreement the AOP do have specimen agreements on their website.