The signing, which took place on May 28, followed consultation with a group of professionals earlier this month on a final draft of the CET scheme guidelines. It also followed the purchase by Vantage of the GOC's initial preferred provider for the management of the scheme, Act Consulting, on May 4. However, that development appears to have done little to delay the confirmation of the GOC's partnership with the Sheffield-based information services company.
Peter Coe, GOC registrar, confirmed that the timetable towards a statutory scheme for CET is on track.
A total of 36 points are required to be gained by optometrist and dispensing optician registrants by December 31 2006, to remain on the Register in 2007. A maximum of 12 points can be taken forward from this year's final 12 months of the voluntary CET schemes administered by the College of Optometrists and ABDO.
For contact lens opticians who will be placed on a specialist list, in addition to the 36 points required, the individual will have to gain a further 18 CET points in contact lens practice to retain entry on the list and the right to fit. However, a maximum of six contact lens points from 2004's voluntary year can go towards the entry level.
The start of the initial statutory CET period is January 1 2005, and Vantage will have the responsibility of informing practitioners of the number of points they have gained.
The company will begin to register CET providers and approve programmes from July 1 this year, though programmes approved by the College and ABDO for 2005 before July 1 will be accepted by Vantage.
The next meeting of the GOC is July 1.The GOC has signed a contract with Vantage Technologies for the management of its CET scheme.
The signing, which took place on May 28, followed consultation with a group of professionals earlier this month on a final draft of the CET scheme guidelines. It also followed the purchase by Vantage of the GOC's initial preferred provider for the management of the scheme, Act Consulting, on May 4. However, that development appears to have done little to delay the confirmation of the GOC's partnership with the Sheffield-based information services company.
Peter Coe, GOC registrar, confirmed that the timetable towards a statutory scheme for CET is on track.
A total of 36 points are required to be gained by optometrist and dispensing optician registrants by December 31 2006, to remain on the Register in 2007. A maximum of 12 points can be taken forward from this year's final 12 months of the voluntary CET schemes administered by the College of Optometrists and ABDO.
For contact lens opticians who will be placed on a specialist list, in addition to the 36 points required, the individual will have to gain a further 18 CET points in contact lens practice to retain entry on the list and the right to fit. However, a maximum of six contact lens points from 2004's voluntary year can go towards the entry level.
The start of the initial statutory CET period is January 1 2005, and Vantage will have the responsibility of informing practitioners of the number of points they have gained.
The company will begin to register CET providers and approve programmes from July 1 this year, though programmes approved by the College and ABDO for 2005 before July 1 will be accepted by Vantage.
The next meeting of the GOC is July 1.
The GOC has signed a contract with Vantage Technologies for the management of its CET scheme.