Costs of CET raise concerns

Concerns about escalating costs of meeting the new continuing education and training requirements were raised at last weekend's ABDO conference, where the General Optical Council revealed details of its new scheme.

GOC head of education and standards Linda Ford described the arrangements for the next three-year cycle starting in January 2013. 'For this profession there's nothing to be scared of - it's going to be proportionate,' she said.

The main changes are that at least half of the 36 CET points must be gained through interactive learning and there will be a minimum requirement of six points per year. Optometrists and CLOs will be expected to participate in at least one activity in three years that involves peer review.