GOC counts the cost of change

Finance and strategic change dominated last week's meeting of the General Optical Council. A host of strategic initiatives and legislative changes were agreed and details of massive increases in expenditure were explained.

The Council approved the strategic plan for 2010-15, which requires big changes to satisfy three priorities: modernisation, development of regulation and promotion of wider understanding of the GOC's work.

A huge range of initiatives for change include revalidation, the development of CET, an electronic fitness to practise case management system, new codes of conduct and raising public awareness. To enable this change groups need to be set up, IT systems commissioned and legal steps taken.