It is our job at the General Optical Council to set standards for the optical professions in the UK. We revised these standards in 2015 and they now set out clearly what we expect of registrants, reflect current good practice and are consistent with those of other health care professionals. But our standards can only be effective if practitioners understand them and feel confident in applying them in their everyday practice.
The results from our recent survey, which was sent to all registrants and received more than 4,000 responses, are therefore very encouraging; 85% of registrants said they feel confident in their ability to meet our new standards of practice, which came into effect last year.
The survey also revealed 91% of optometrists and dispensing opticians said they had a good understanding of the new standards. Respondents believed they are reasonable and reinforce current practice and more importantly, they feel they are well-defined and therefore allow them to clearly interpret what is expected of them.
We hope to support all registrants in meeting these standards, so it is therefore pleasing to see from our survey results that respondents believe the new standards support and underpin their daily practice.
The survey also revealed 65% of registrants thought their practice had improved as a result of undertaking our Continuing Education and Training (CET) scheme. Respondents shared with us that they believe themselves to be better practitioners as a result of completing CET activities.
Practice is changing faster than ever, and it is encouraging to see practitioners recognise the value in having the up-to-date skills and knowledge needed to meet the needs of the UK population.