Moves to transfer the management of GOC fitness to practise (FTP) hearings to a new government body were outlined at a Council meeting to discuss the implementation of the White Paper on health and social policy.
During the meeting, which took place in London as Optician went to press (Tuesday), the GOC detailed plans for joining the Department of Health's new independent adjudication body, the Office of Health Professionals Adjudicator (OHPA), as soon as possible. However, an exact timetable for joining is yet to be finalised.
Gavin Larner, director of professional regulation for the DoH, explained that the OHPA's operation in shadow form is scheduled for 2009/10 for General Medical Council (GMC) members, becoming fully functioning in 2011. Responding to disappointment voiced to him that the DoH will not be putting into action the new procedures simultaneously for opticians, he commented: 'They want to start it simple with doctors and when they've got that right implement it for opticians.'
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