GOC News from Council – 30 September 2026

GOC News from Council – 30 September 2026

The General Optical Council (GOC) held its third Council meeting of the year yesterday.

Agenda items included discussing findings from its thematic review into commercial practices and patient safety; approving the response to its Continuing Professional Development (CPD) reform consultation; noting its response to the Lord Mann review of antisemitism and other forms of racism in the NHS and healthcare regulatory system; discussing the 2026 UK Optical Education Report; and approving the GOC’s Annual Report and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Annual Report.

Thematic review into commercial practices and patient safety

Council discussed the findings of the GOC’s thematic review examining how commercial practices in primary eye care may affect patient safety. The review considered five key areas: sales targets and incentives, booking practices, sight testing times, transparency of pricing and NHS financial support, and sight tests for young children aged 0-5yrs.

The review found:

• Patients are satisfied with the service they receive but many registrants are concerned about their ability to deliver safe patient care
• There is no direct evidence that commercial practices are causing harm to patients, although a lack of data on patient outcomes makes this hard to assess
• There are concerns about registrant welfare including stress and burnout. Council was clear that when registrant welfare is at risk, this is a patient safety concern, and hence it is a regulatory issue
• Students and early career professionals appear more affected by these pressures pointing to the need for greater support both while training and in managing the transition from training to independent practice
• There are barriers to accessing care due to lack of online price transparency and information about eligibility for NHS financial support, a minority of businesses not providing sight tests to young children and risks around a fear of pressure selling deterring people from routine sight tests
• While setting the right standards and enforcing these well are important, culture and leadership are critical. This includes creating psychologically safe environments that support registrants to speak up, including to the GOC.

Council discussed a programme of work for the GOC and the wider sector, including employers, professional bodies, commissioners and NHS bodies. Planned GOC work includes reviewing the Standards for Optical Businesses and other guidance, working with education providers to better prepare students for the commercial realities of the sector, and strengthening support for registrants to raise concerns.

Council welcomed the review as an important catalyst for conversations and action across the sector. The full report will be published shortly.

CPD reform consultation response

Council approved the GOC’s response to its consultation on proposed reforms to its CPD scheme. The proposals are intended to modernise the current system and create a more flexible, less prescriptive approach that focuses on the quality of learning and supports the expanding clinical roles registrants are undertaking.

The consultation response confirms the GOC’s longer-term ambition to move away from the current points-based system and end the need for the GOC to approve CPD providers. However, these proposals would require legislative change, with implementation targeted in January 2031. Council noted the importance of working closely with the sector on these longer-term reforms to build confidence in the changes and allow sufficient time for the profession to adapt.

The GOC plans to establish a stakeholder task and finish group to help shape proposed changes for the 2028-30 CPD cycle. Planned changes starting in 2028 include reducing the number of mandatory learning domains, removing some barriers to self-directed learning such as the need to write a reflective statement after each activity, and incorporating patient feedback within CPD. The GOC has withdrawn the proposal in its consultation for businesses to ensure that individual registrants have an up-to-date Personal Development Plan (PDP).

The GOC also plans to simplify aspects of CPD provider regulation in the 2028-30 cycle, including making it easier for CPD providers to move from provisional to full approval status and reducing the number of CPD provider audits over the cycle.

The final consultation response will be published in October 2026.

GOC response to Lord Mann review of antisemitism and other forms of racism in the NHS and healthcare regulatory system

Council considered the GOC’s initial response to the independent review of antisemitism and other forms of racism in the NHS and healthcare regulatory system, led by Lord Mann and commissioned by the UK Government. The review examined how healthcare organisations recognise, report and respond to antisemitism and other forms of racism.

Recent research, such as the GOC’s 2026 registrant survey, continues to highlight the impact of discrimination within the professions it regulates, with race among the most commonly reported forms of workplace discrimination.

Council welcomed the GOC’s response, which builds on its existing work to promote EDI across its regulatory functions and organisational culture. Council noted that the GOC will use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism and the UK Government’s definition of anti-Muslim hostility. The GOC will also implement a programme of actions arising from the review, including staff training, policy development and ongoing work with other healthcare regulators and organisations to tackle discrimination and promote inclusion.

2026 UK optical education report

Council considered the GOC’s annual report on optical education and training across the UK, which reviews key trends, risks and developments in GOC-approved qualifications and routes to registration during the 2024/25 academic year.

The report found that student recruitment remains strong, with optometry admissions increasing by 16.3% for 2025/26 compared with 2024/25 admissions data, while dispensing optics admissions rose by 46.6%. Optometry admissions remain competitive, while new qualifications, including two new optometry Masters’ degrees and a dispensing optics apprenticeship, should support further growth. The report identified the importance of ensuring sufficient placement opportunities, supervision capacity and academic staffing to support this expansion.

The report also highlighted an increase in trainees undertaking independent prescribing qualifications, but a decline in uptake of contact lens optics qualifications.

Elsewhere, the report noted significant progress in implementing the GOC’s Education and Training Requirements (ETR), and the start of long placements in 2025, which provide students with supervised patient-facing clinical experience as part of their degree programmes.

Council discussed statistically significant differences in progression and attainment between some demographic groups and highlighted the importance of continuing to improve EDI data to support future analysis and workforce planning.

The final report will be published in October 2026.

Annual reports

Council approved the GOC’s ‘Annual Report, Annual Fitness to Practise Report and Financial Statements for 2025-26,’ which set out the GOC’s activities, achievements and financial performance during the first year of its 2025-30 corporate strategy, Safe and effective eye care for all.

Council also approved the GOC’s ‘EDI Annual Report 2025-26′ and ‘EDI Annual Monitoring Report 2025-26,’ which set out progress made during the first year of delivery of the GOC’s EDI Strategy 2025-2030. Council welcomed the broad range of EDI work over the past year, which included commissioning research to better understand potential disproportionality in fitness to practise processes; strengthened use of registrant, patient and public insight to inform regulatory policy and practice; and increased EDI training for staff, leaders and decision-makers.

The reports will be published in due course.