Chris Bennett: Business has a big role in standards

Cherie Blair’s foray into healthcare, and the closure of some laser clinics, were high profile failures this week and pose questions on standards that need to be answered.

As optics becomes more corporatised should there be more control over who owns optical businesses and the rigour which is applied to the way they operate?

Prescient indeed given the recent consultation on standards conducted by the General Optical Council. One of the few areas of disagreement was the way in which standards were applied to the individual as opposed to businesses. The individual membership organisations said their members couldn’t be expected to be held responsible when their employer held the power. These days that applies to an awful lot of them.