Concerns voiced over further monitoring

A strong case has been lodged for community optical practices to be exempt from a proposed healthcare regulator called Monitor.

In response to a government consultation, the Optical Confederation said there was no need for optical practices to be regulated by Monitor on top of the General Optical Council, the Companies Act, Office of Fair Trading and Advertising Standards Authority as well as guidance from optical bodies.

Monitor, part of the under-fire Health and Social Care Bill, has primarily been set up to promote competition and integration in the NHS. However, proposals would also give it a range of powers to ensure NHS-funded services complied with its licence conditions.