View from the AOP: Duty of candour concerns

Re: the GOC consultations on consent and the duty of candour.

After new standards for registrants were introduced in April, the GOC promised guidance for how these should work in practice.

The GOC has since consulted on two draft guidance notes. One was on the need to seek consent for treatment. The AOP responded to this alongside the Optical Confederation. The draft guidance suggested patient consent be sought at each stage of the eye examination but we argued this would be excessive. We said there is implied consent in the fact that the patient is attending an examination and therefore it does not make sense to ask a patient for their consent when looking at a Snellen chart. For tests patients might be unfamiliar with, and anything uncomfortable or invasive, it makes sense to explain the procedure and check the patient is happy to proceed.