For the first time in just under a decade the General Optical Council (GOC) has met all 18 of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) standards for regulators.
It is only the third such body to achieve 100% of its KPI objectives. The 2021-22 report highlights improvements made to the time it takes to process fitness to practise cases, which now compares well to other regulators. In the most recent quarter assessed, it took an average of 80 weeks from receiving a complaint to making a final decision. A programme of work to improve timeliness is ongoing.
The GOC is also praised for equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) performance, keeping detailed data on registrants as part of its annual public perceptions survey.
The regulator pledges to reflect on comments about communications for the new Education and Training Requirements (ETR) and the CPD system. The GOC implemented improvements in the recent call for evidence on the Opticians Act.
Dr Anne Wright, chair of council, said: “I welcome the outcome of the PSA’s review. It recognises the significant progress we have made in improving the timeliness of fitness to practise cases.
“This progress could not have been achieved without the substantial commitment and energy of GOC staff and members, and I am glad that we can celebrate this success collectively.
“As a Council, the PSA’s performance review is useful assurance that we are meeting our statutory responsibilities as a regulator and protecting the public by upholding high standards in the optical professions.”
GOC chief executive, Leonie Milliner, said: “Meeting all the PSA’s Standards for Good Regulation is a significant step in our ambition to become a world-class regulator and we will continue to build on this positive performance.
“The report recognises high standards across all areas of our work including our regulatory operations, registration processes, in upholding high standards in education, policy and professional standards, in our communications functions, and of course in the vital area of corporate governance.”
The Optical Consumer Complaints Service worked with the GOC to ensure that only the most appropriate fitness to practice complaints enter the system. It congratulated the GOC and called on other health regulators to collaborate to manage and resolve low level complaints swiftly.
The GOC regulates more than 30,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians and students and over 2,800 optical businesses across the UK.