Updates to standards of practice and a business regulation consultation were approved at the third General Optical Council meeting of the year on September 24-25.
Updates to standards for optometrists and dispensing opticians, optical students, and optical businesses will come into effect on January 1, 2025.
Following a period of consultation and feedback, the council said it improved the clarity, brevity and legal alignment of the updated standards.
Key changes included: delivering better care for patients in vulnerable circumstances; requiring registrants to identify themselves and their role and advise patients who will provide their care; maintaining appropriate professional boundaries; keeping updated on developments in digital technologies; maintaining confidentiality when sharing patient images online; and demonstrating leadership in practice.
Another update focused on promoting better workplace cultures by explicitly referencing inclusive behaviour between colleagues and ensuring employers support staff who have experienced discrimination, bullying or harassment in the workplace.
This will be of particular importance following the GOC’s latest workplace survey, which highlighted there had been little progress on harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, managers and colleagues.
The Council also discussed the findings of this survey during the meeting and said it would commission lived experience research to analyse the link between poor working environment and the delivery of safe care.
Business consultation
A consultation on draft reforms to regulation of optical businesses was also approved by Council at the meeting after identifying gaps in the current system that could risk public protection.
Proposals in the consultation included: extending regulation to all entities providing the specified restricted functions, unless exempted, including university eye clinics and charities; and removing the current legislation requirement for some categories of body corporates to have a majority of registrant directors.
Furthermore: a model of assurance that included requiring registrants to nominate a head of optical practice with overall responsibility for the conduct of the business, in accordance with the GOC’s regulatory arrangements; removing the maximum fine available for breaches and introducing a power to visit a business, should it be required as part of the fitness to carry on business process; and making participation in the consumer redress scheme mandatory and seeking views on whether the scheme should operate on a mediation or adjudication model.
The GOC said all proposals were informed by a call for evidence on associated policies in 2022 and a 13-week consultation would launch shortly.
Report discussion
The Council also discussed key themes, risks and trends in education providers’ qualifications from the AMR Sector Report 2022-23, which formed part of the GOC’s Approval and Quality and Assurance for GOC-approved education providers.
Council said the report showed strong and encouraging growth in admissions and a significant rise in professionals pursuing independent prescribing (IP) qualifications.
The report also highlighted the barriers some optometrists experience in progressing onto IP programmes, including time, the cost of and lack of employer support, and a lack of eligible supervisors.
Lastly, Council also approved the annual report and financial statements 2023-24, and the equality, diversity and inclusion report 2023-24, as well as noting the audit, risk and finance committee annual report, which would be published soon.
