Fitness to practise costs increasing

Increased workload and costs for General Optical Council fitness to practise cases were reported at the regulator’s meeting last week.

Statistics presented confirmed this was not a short term increase, but a longer term trend.

The GOC said although the number of cases referred was broadly outside of its control, statistically it meant more cases would flow through to interim orders and hearings, increasing the cost base. The estimated additional costs on the budget was £234,000 – a 30% increase. The Council said annual costs of hearings and cases was volatile and hard to accurately predict.

The Council also agreed its strategic plan for April 2017 to March 2020 at the meeting. The GOC’s three priorities for the next three years are: the learning and development of optical professionals; a targeted approach to regulation; organisational transformation.