General Optical Council Consults On Changes To Codes Of Conduct, UK

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 12 Jan 2009 - 3:00 PST

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The General Optical Council (GOC) has launched a consultation on changes to the codes of conducts for both individual and business registrants.

Changes are proposed to 14 areas of the codes of conduct. Issues under consideration include:

- Should practitioners be legally obliged to report concerns about their own or a colleague's fitness to practise?
- What kinds of behaviour, whilst practising or not, should put a person's registration at risk?
- Do the Codes of Conduct do enough to promote equality and diversity?

Jon Levett, GOC Director of Standards, said: "The codes of conduct are the fundamental guide to professional standards and conduct, so these changes are important and far-reaching. I would encourage all registrants and other stakeholders to read about what we are proposing and let us know their views."

The consultation is being promoted with a wide range of interested parties including registrants, optical bodies, patient groups, charities, campaign groups, Government departments and other healthcare regulators.

Consultation documents can be downloaded from the GOC's website, www.optical.org. An online survey form is also available so that consultees can respond quickly and easily.

The consultation closes on 24 April 2009.

About the General Optical Council

The GOC is the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Its purpose is to protect the public by promoting high standards of education, conduct and performance amongst opticians. The Council currently registers around 22,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians and optical businesses.

General Optical Council