Are there enough of us?

In my last column I quoted statistics relating to the number of student opticians in the UK and colleagues have been asked how I got the data.

Most readers will be well aware that the General Optical Council (GOC) has been systematically updating its website over the past year or two, partly to cater for the new requirements of continuing professional development (CPD) but also because it has changed its registration system so that registrants have the same GOC number for life once qualified.

This means people can’t slip through the cracks if they deregister then restore after a period of absence, perhaps with a new name, and a slate clean of misdemeanours.