New figures released by the General Optical Council (GOC) show that the vast majority of optical practitioners have maintained their commitment to their profession by meeting their CET requirements.
The GOC removed 392 individual practitioners from its register for failing to meet their CET requirements – less than two per cent of registrants.
Marcus Dye, GOC head of standards and CET, said: “I would like to congratulate all registrants who met their 2016 –18 CET requirements and applied for renewal on time. As the optical professions change rapidly, it is more vital than ever that optical practitioners keep their skills and knowledge up to date, so they can continue to deliver high standards of care to their patients.”
40 optometrists and 58 dispensing opticians failed to renew their registration by the 31 March 2019 deadline and have been removed from the register. It is now illegal for them to continue practising in the UK.
Yeslin Gearty, GOC head of registration, said “A very small number of registrants failed to renew by the deadline and have therefore left themselves unable to practise in the UK and will also be removed from the NHS Practitioners List. I would urge any practitioner, who wishes to restore to the register to start the restoration process as quickly as possible.”
Any individual or business registrant who has been removed from the register, but wishes to continue practising or carrying on business, must restore to the register immediately. Applicants must complete the restoration form and pay the restoration fee of £70. Individual practitioners must also provide evidence of having met the necessary CET requirements in the past 12 months.
Restoration guidance for students, practitioners and bodies corporate can be found on the GOC website : https://www.optical.org/en/Registration/Restoring_to_the_registers/index.cfm