Differential retention fees agreed, while the cost of GOC registration for 2010-2011 rises by up to 48 per cent

Retention fees for General Optical Council (GOC) registrants will increase by up to 48 per cent for 2010/11, while differential fees for optometrists (OOs) and dispensing opticians (DOs) will also come into effect.

The fees are set to rise from £219 for all practitioners to £325 for OOs, an increase of 48 per cent, and £280 for DOs, a 28 per cent increase. The new fees were agreed by Council at its November 18 meeting and apply to the next retention period which runs from 1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011.

The GOC said that raised fees for registrants were due to increased costs and workload and new ways of working such as a 15 per cent rise in the number of fitness to practise (FTP) cases opened in 2009. After FTP cases, support services such as IT, finance and office costs and then registration were cited as the greatest areas of expenditure, which was forecast to be £5.7m for 2010-11.

Prior to last year’s retention fee increase to £219, the cost of GOC registration had remained the same for four years at £169.

Among the reasons for differential fees received by the GOC during its consultation this summer were that differences between the professions should be recognised and that DOs did not receive CET funding and were likely to earn less than optometrists.

It was also highlighted that other comparable regulators responsible for multiple professions applied differential fees. Another argument was that clinical risks associated with DOs were lower than for OOs and that OOs accounted for a proportionately higher number of FTP cases. It was also reasoned that dispensing was largely unregulated, potentially making a full retention fee disproportionate.

Reacting to the fee increase, ABDO said that an unprecedented increase in GOC fees had been partially mitigated by a decision to differentiate the level of payments made by DOs and OOs for the coming year.

Commenting on the decision ABDO General Secretary, Anthony Garrett, said:  ‘Whilst I am grateful to all those who voted for the reduced level of payment I am desperately disappointed by the level of increase and the failure of the GOC once again to address the issue of payments by instalments. To ask low paid registrants to pay £280 in one go is insensitive and shows a lack of concern for those affected.’

Commenting on the proposed increases ABDO President Barry Duncan said:  ‘Members will be bitterly disappointed at this level of increase. Given that the regulated functions of DOs are inadequately policed by the GOC, members will undoubtedly be considering whether it is worth maintaining their registration.’

The GOC said that DOs choosing to not to be registered would not be in the public interest.

The student registration fee and restoration fee remain unchanged.