Regulator guide · GOC

GOC Fitness to Practise: Complete Guide for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians

How the General Optical Council handles concerns about optometrists, dispensing opticians, optical students and optical businesses. This guide covers the legal grounds, what the GOC will and will not investigate, the latest numbers, and every stage from assessment to case examiners and a Fitness to Practise Committee hearing. It also explains the sanctions, including fines of up to £50,000, interim orders and appeal rights, two real decisions, the standards you are measured against, and the free support available.

Reviewed October 2026 against the Opticians Act 1989, the GOC acceptance criteria, case examiner guidance (December 2025), Hearings and Indicative Sanctions Guidance (July 2026), the GOC annual report 2024/25, the PSA's review for 2025 and Court of Appeal case law

2024/25 GOC data July 2026 sanctions guidance Free support line

Short answer: GOC fitness to practise is the process the General Optical Council uses to decide whether an optometrist, dispensing optician, optical student or optical business can practise safely without restriction. The GOC received 464 concerns in 2024/25 and opened 137 investigations. Every concern is checked against published acceptance criteria. Investigated cases go to two case examiners, one registrant and one lay, who decide whether there is a realistic prospect of a finding of impairment. Serious cases go to a Fitness to Practise Committee hearing. The committee can impose a fine of up to £50,000, conditions, a suspension of up to 12 months or erasure. In 2024/25 it suspended 21 registrants and erased 6.

Key takeaways

The GOC only investigates serious concerns. Complaints about glasses, contact lenses or service usually go to the free Optical Consumer Complaints Service instead.
You get 28 days to send written representations before the case examiners decide. This is often the most important document in your case.
Unlike most regulators, the GOC can fine a registrant up to £50,000, and it also regulates students and some optical businesses.
Erasure is never available when impairment is caused by health alone. You have 28 days from service of the decision to appeal to the court.
The PSA found the GOC met all 18 standards of good regulation for the fourth year running. Its investigation times are among the quickest of the health regulators.

What makes the GOC different

If you have read about GMC or NMC cases, some of it will not apply to you. The GOC's process is built on the Opticians Act 1989, and it differs from other health regulators in ways that change your risks and your options.

Feature	At the GOC	What it means for you
Financial penalties	Up to £50,000	A fine is a real outcome, not just suspension or erasure, and it can be recovered through the courts.
Students	Registered from the start of training	A student can be suspended or erased, which ends training.
Businesses	Some optical businesses are registered	Directors' conduct and tolerated practices can put the business itself in front of a committee.
Consumer complaints	Diverted to the OCCS	Most complaints about glasses, lenses or service never become fitness to practise cases.
Decision before a hearing	Two case examiners, one registrant and one lay	They must agree. Your written representations are read by both.
Geography	Whole of the UK	Northern Ireland is included, unlike pharmacy.
NHS work	Separate performers list process	In England, NHS England can act on your GOS work alongside the GOC.

This guide covers the GOC only. For how all UK regulators compare, see our complete guide to fitness to practise in the UK.

Who and what the GOC regulates

18,725optometrists

6,805dispensing opticians

6,431optical students

2,934business registrants

Register at 31 March 2025, 34,895 in total, from the GOC annual report 2024/25. Students are 5,163 student optometrists and 1,268 student dispensing opticians.

The GOC regulates the optical professions across the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland. That is different from pharmacy, where Northern Ireland has its own regulator. Three features make the GOC unusual:

Students are registered

Optometry and dispensing students must be registered while they train, so they can face fitness to practise proceedings too. A student who is suspended or erased cannot continue their training.

Businesses can be registered

Some optical businesses are on the register and must meet the Standards for Optical Businesses. Their fitness to carry on business can be investigated.

Specialty registration

Optometrists can hold additional supply, supplementary or independent prescribing specialties, and dispensing opticians can be contact lens opticians. A sanction can apply to the specialty as well as to full registration.

The legal grounds

Section 13D of the Opticians Act 1989 sets out when fitness to practise can be impaired. The grounds for a qualified individual are:

MisconductSerious conduct concerns, such as falsifying records, especially after a complaint, or not declaring a conviction or caution.

Deficient professional performanceWork that falls unacceptably low across a fair sample of practice, such as repeated or widespread record-keeping failures.

Convictions and cautionsA conviction or caution anywhere in the UK, or an offence abroad that would be a crime here.

Adverse physical or mental healthUsually only where a condition is unmanaged or unacknowledged and could put people at risk.

Decisions of other regulatorsA finding by another UK health or social care regulator, or an overseas regulator, that your fitness to practise is impaired.

Other criminal justice outcomesAccepting a conditional offer or an absolute discharge in Scotland, or agreeing to pay a social security penalty instead of being prosecuted.

The same grounds apply to students, except deficient professional performance, and for them the question is fitness to undertake training. An allegation can cover conduct outside the UK or at a time when you were not registered (section 13D(4)). For business registrants, the grounds include misconduct by the business or one of its directors, and knowingly tolerating or instigating practices that amount to misconduct or deficient professional performance. A conviction or caution of the business or a director also counts.

What the GOC will and will not investigate

The GOC says plainly: "We are only able to investigate serious concerns about an optician." It assesses every new referral against published acceptance criteria. The current criteria for individuals were published in July 2025 and those for businesses in December 2022. "We will not investigate referrals that do not meet our acceptance criteria."

More likely to be investigated

Dishonesty or fraud, including falsifying records, especially after receiving a complaint
Not declaring a conviction or caution to the GOC
Inappropriate behaviour towards patients or colleagues
Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs at work
Repeated or widespread record-keeping failures, or other poor performance across a fair sample of work
Offences linked to practice, or raising wider public interest concerns, such as drink or drug driving or a custodial or suspended sentence
An unmanaged or unacknowledged health condition that could put people at risk
A finding of impairment by another regulator

Less likely to be investigated

A one-off clinical error, which is "unlikely to amount to misconduct"
Minor motoring offences without aggravating features
Concerns that are minor or already resolved locally
Concerns unrelated to professional practice
Disputes about glasses, contact lenses, prices or service, which go to the OCCS
Requests for refunds, compensation or an apology, which the GOC cannot order

Summarised from the GOC acceptance criteria page (updated January 2026) and its guidance on raising a concern.

The GOC cannot arrange refunds, compensation or apologies, give legal advice, or order an optician to release records. Anyone can raise a concern: patients, carers, employers, the police and other registrants all do. As at every regulator, falsifying or altering records after a complaint is treated as far more serious than the original clinical issue. See our guides to records and probity and failure to disclose.

The Optical Consumer Complaints Service

Most consumer complaints never become fitness to practise cases. The Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) is a free, impartial mediation service funded by the GOC and run by Nockolds Solicitors. It helps patients and practices resolve complaints about goods, such as glasses and contact lenses, and about the service provided. It is not a disciplinary process and does not decide whether you are fit to practise. Engaging constructively with a complaint at this stage is the best way to stop it escalating. See our guide to the investigation stage for when a complaint becomes a regulatory matter.

What you must tell the GOC, and when

Not declaring something on time can turn a manageable matter into a fitness to practise case. The GOC says: "You must make a declaration as soon as you become aware of a matter that may affect your fitness to practise." This applies to students and businesses too, and "you should not wait until renewal" if the matter arises during the year. You can declare at any time through MyGOC or the online declaration form.

Convictions and cautions

All convictions and cautions, unless protected under the relevant legislation, and any current police investigation that may lead to one.

Health

A physical or mental health condition only "if it may currently affect your ability to practise safely". The GOC focuses on the impact on safe practice, not the diagnosis.

Other regulators

Any finding of impairment by another UK or overseas health or social care regulator, and any current proceedings that may lead to one.

Employer and training investigations

Investigations by an employer or education provider that may affect your fitness to practise or training, and any period of practising while unregistered.

In 2025-26 the GOC received 1,116 declarations outside the annual renewal period. Only 40 were referred to fitness to practise: 22 criminal, 10 other investigations and 8 health. Around 80% of those referred were then closed at triage. Declaring promptly is rarely the problem. Declaring late is: in one case study the GOC published, a conviction reported six months late was treated as misconduct in its own right.

You must also have professional indemnity cover in force whenever you practise. Section 10A of the Opticians Act requires "an indemnity arrangement which provides appropriate cover". Practising without it is a registration issue that can lead to fitness to practise action.

GOC fitness to practise in numbers, 2024/25

Measure	Figure	Context
Concerns received	464	Up from 405 in 2023/24, a rise of 13.6%
Investigations opened	137	A 29% conversion rate
Type of concern	About 42% clinical	About 32% conduct, 26% convictions, health or business
Median time to case examiner decision	55 weeks	Up from 41 weeks
Case examiner referral rate	44%	Rolling rate of cases sent to a hearing
Median time, receipt to final hearing outcome	71 weeks	58% of cases concluded within 78 weeks
Fitness to Practise Committee outcomes	42 cases	Including 21 suspensions, 6 erasures, 3 conditional registrations, 8 no further action or no case to answer, 2 misconduct but not impaired
Remote hearings	85%	Of substantive hearings, and 98% of other hearings

Source: GOC annual report and accounts 2024/25 (HC 1359), covering 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

Two points help put these figures in context. First, fewer than a third of concerns are investigated, and fewer than half of investigated cases reach a hearing. Second, when a case does reach a hearing, suspension is the most common outcome. Committee outcomes are not a fair guide to your risk at the start of a case. They reflect only the most serious cases that survived two earlier filters.

Students are not exempt. In the four years from 2019-20 to 2022-23 the GOC erased 40 registrants, and 15 of them were students, mostly student dispensing opticians. The GOC's own explanation of why it erases registrants puts non-engagement first: not giving representations at the investigation stage and not explaining the conduct behind a complaint. Engaging with the process, even when the news is bad, is one of the strongest things you can do.

From referral to case examiners: how a GOC case moves

1
Assessment against the criteria
A new referral is checked against the acceptance criteria. If it does not meet them, it is closed or, for a consumer issue, signposted to the OCCS.
2
Investigation
The GOC gathers evidence such as patient records, witness statements, employer information and, where needed, independent clinical expert reports. You are told about the concern and can respond.
3
Case examiners
Two case examiners, one registrant and one lay, review the papers. You are invited to make written representations, normally within 28 days. They decide whether there is a realistic prospect of a finding of impairment.
4
Fitness to Practise Committee
A hearing, usually in public, decides the facts, whether fitness to practise is impaired and any sanction. Health matters are heard in private. See our guide to fitness to practise hearings.

How case examiners decide

The GOC's case examiner guidance (version 2, effective December 2025) sets the rules. The two examiners must reach a unanimous decision. If they cannot agree, the case goes to the Investigation Committee. They apply the "realistic prospect" test: whether there is a genuine, not remote or fanciful, possibility that a committee would find your fitness to practise impaired. They do not make findings of fact or resolve conflicts of evidence. Where the evidence genuinely conflicts on an important point, that usually points towards a hearing. They can decide to:

No further actionThe case closes.

AdviceNo further action, with advice on future practice.

WarningWhere impairment is unlikely but the conduct fell short and should not be repeated.

ReferTo the Fitness to Practise Committee for a hearing, or to the Investigation Committee for a health or performance assessment.

Because case examiners decide on the papers, your written representations do most of the work. Address the allegation honestly. Explain what happened and why. Then show, with evidence, what you have done since: reflection, targeted training, audit of your records and changed procedures. Our guides to writing your response and warnings explain how. Get advice from your professional body or indemnity provider before you send anything.

Interim orders

Under section 13L of the Opticians Act, the Fitness to Practise Committee can suspend your registration, or make it conditional, while the case continues. It can do this where an order is necessary to protect the public, is otherwise in the public interest, or is in your own interests. An interim order can last up to 18 months. It must be reviewed within six months and then at least every six months, and you can ask for an earlier review after three months. After that, the GOC has to apply to the court, which can add up to 12 months each time (section 13L(6) and (7)). For a student, an interim suspension also pauses training. Our guide to interim and substantive suspension explains how to prepare for an interim orders hearing.

Inside a Fitness to Practise Committee hearing

A Fitness to Practise Committee follows three steps. It decides whether the facts are proved, on the balance of probabilities. It then decides whether those facts amount to misconduct or another ground. Finally, it decides whether your fitness to practise is currently impaired and, if so, which sanction is proportionate. Most substantive hearings now take place remotely. Before a hearing, a case management meeting can deal with witnesses, documents and timetabling.

The committee applies the GOC's Hearings and Indicative Sanctions Guidance. An updated version applies to all hearings starting from 20 July 2026. Part-heard hearings that started earlier continue under the old guidance. The update:

defines hearsay evidence and gives examples
explains situational vulnerability and special measures for vulnerable witnesses
adjusts the wording on dishonesty to "reflect a more balanced approach"
clarifies when a review hearing is needed
defines sexual harassment and sexual motivation separately

Insight and remediation carry real weight at the impairment stage. The committee looks at whether the conduct is remediable, whether it has been remedied and whether it is likely to be repeated. Our guides to insight and evidence of remediation explain what panels look for.

Fines, suspension and erasure: GOC sanctions and appeals

If the Fitness to Practise Committee finds your fitness to practise impaired, it can impose:

Unique to the GOC

Financial penalty

Up to £50,000, paid within a period set by the committee. Unpaid penalties can be recovered through the courts.

Restricts practice

Conditional registration

You stay on the register subject to conditions such as extra training or supervision, sometimes with a review hearing.

Stops practice

Suspension

Up to 12 months, sometimes with a review hearing before it ends.

Most serious

Erasure

Removal from the register, or from a specialty.

If the committee finds that your fitness to practise is not impaired, it can still give a warning about your future conduct or performance. A warning takes effect immediately and has no appeal period. Erasure "cannot be imposed" if impairment is caused by adverse physical or mental health. If a specialty is suspended or erased, you cannot carry out the duties of that specialty. Restoration after erasure is not automatic: you have to apply and satisfy the GOC's restoration requirements.

Hearing outcomes are published on the GOC website. An erasure determination stays published for five years from the date of the decision, unless you are restored sooner. Suspension, conditions and warnings stay published for 12 months, or for the length of the sanction if that is longer. The GOC's disclosure policy sets out the full list of publication periods.

Sanctions take effect 28 days after the hearing unless the committee also makes an immediate order. Under section 23G of the Opticians Act, you can appeal a decision to erase, suspend, impose conditions or impose a financial penalty within 28 days of the decision being served on you. The appeal goes to the High Court in England and Wales, the Court of Session in Scotland, or the High Court in Northern Ireland, depending on your registered address. The Professional Standards Authority can also refer a decision it considers too lenient to the court. See our guide to how long remediation takes.

Two real optical cases and what they teach

Real case · Court of Appeal · 2017

Rose v R [2017] EWCA Crim 1168

What happened. A locum optometrist carried out a routine sight test on a seven-year-old boy in February 2012. Retinal images had been taken, but she did not properly examine the back of his eyes. The images showed swelling of the optic nerve, which a competent optometrist would have recognised as needing urgent referral. The boy died five months later of acute hydrocephalus, a condition the experts agreed was treatable. She was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter.

The outcome. On 31 July 2017 the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction. It held that a "serious and obvious risk of death" must be judged on what the professional actually knew at the time of the breach, not on what a proper examination would have revealed. In the court's words, "A mere possibility that an assessment might reveal something life-threatening is not the same as an obvious risk of death" (para 77).

The lesson: the criminal threshold is high, but the clinical duty is not lowered. Missing pathology because an examination was not done properly is exactly the kind of failure that leads to regulatory and civil action. Review every image you take, record what you saw, and refer with the urgency the findings demand.

GOC decision · Fitness to Practise Committee · May 2026

Directors and employees of one practice

What happened. Two directors of an optical practice, an optometrist and a dispensing optician, were found to have engaged in serious, repeated dishonesty to increase income from patients. This included misdiagnosing patients, overcharging, recommending products patients did not need and issuing inaccurate receipts. They also did not always give patients their prescriptions, allowed or requested fake customer reviews, and let staff work while on furlough. Two junior optometrists also misdiagnosed patients and recommended products that were not clinically justified.

The outcome. The directors were erased and placed under immediate suspension orders pending any appeal. The junior optometrists were suspended for two months. The committee treated the pressure the directors had put on them as mitigation, but it still found their own conduct dishonest.

The lesson: commercial pressure is mitigation, not a defence. Every registrant is personally responsible for clinical recommendations and for giving patients their prescription. Raise concerns about targets or practices early, and keep a record that you did.

For more real decisions, see our fitness to practise case studies.

Where optometrists and dispensing opticians get into trouble

Missed or late referral

Clinical concerns are the largest group, around 42%. Failing to detect or urgently refer signs such as papilloedema, retinal detachment or raised eye pressure is the classic risk. Follow your referral protocols and record your reasoning.

Records

Repeated or widespread record-keeping failures are a listed example of deficient performance. Altering records after a complaint is treated as dishonesty.

Dishonesty and commercial pressure

Misdiagnosis to sell products, overcharging, false receipts and fake reviews have led to erasure. See our guide to dishonesty allegations and conflicts of interest.

Prescriptions and patient rights

Patients are entitled to a copy of their prescription after a sight test. Not always providing it was one of the findings against the practice directors erased in May 2026. Make it routine, and never tie it to a purchase.

Declarations

Not declaring a conviction or caution to the GOC is itself on the list of concerns likely to be investigated, and is often more damaging than the original matter.

Sexual boundaries

The GOC published guidance on maintaining appropriate sexual boundaries in December 2025, and its standards now expressly prohibit sexual conduct with patients. See our guide to professional boundaries.

The 2025 GOC standards your case is measured against

GOC cases are judged against the standards in force at the time of the events. New standards took effect on 1 January 2025:

Standards of Practice

For optometrists and dispensing opticians: 19 standards of behaviour and performance, covering patients' best interests, communication, consent, clinical competence, records, confidentiality, candour, raising concerns and leadership.

Standards for Optical Students

For student registrants, adapted to the training setting. Students are expected to act within their stage of training and under supervision.

Standards for Optical Businesses

For business registrants. They place responsibility on the business to create an environment in which staff can meet their own standards.

The 2025 revision added or strengthened duties on several areas: an express prohibition on sexual conduct with patients, inclusive and non-discriminatory care, digital and remote services, the use of patient images and leadership. In December 2025 the GOC also published guidance on Maintaining appropriate sexual boundaries and Care of patients in vulnerable circumstances. The duty to be candid when things go wrong is covered in our guide to the duty of candour, and the wider principles in our guide to probity.

CPD and registration

Some removals are administrative rather than fitness to practise decisions. The current CPD cycle runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. Optometrists and dispensing opticians need at least:

36 CPD points, with at least one point in each of the four domains: professionalism, communication, clinical practice, and leadership and accountability
18 of those points from interactive CPD
one peer review event, followed by a reflection statement
a personal development plan and a reflective exercise with a peer by the end of the cycle

Optometrists with an additional supply, supplementary or independent prescribing specialty need 54 points, including 18 in the specialty domain. Contact lens opticians need 36 points, including 18 in the specialty domain. The GOC expects about six points a year. Requirements are pro rata if you join part-way through a cycle.

Each year you also renew your registration and confirm your declarations, as explained in what you must tell the GOC. Our guide to reflective accounts explains how to write reflection that carries weight.

Your employer and the NHS performers list

A GOC case rarely runs on its own. In England, you must be on the NHS ophthalmic performers list to provide NHS General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) sight tests, and NHS England manages concerns about performers under the performers list regulations. That process is separate from the GOC and can lead to its own conditions, suspension or removal. NHS England asks performers to tell it if they face a GOC investigation, a criminal conviction or caution, or an investigation by an employer or the NHS Business Services Authority, and if their GOC conditions change. If you are removed from the GOC register, for example by not completing annual renewal, you are automatically removed from the performers list as well. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland keep their own ophthalmic lists, so check the rules where you practise.

Your employer or practice owner may also run its own investigation, and your contract may require you to tell them about a GOC referral. Keep your answers consistent across every process, because each body may see what you told the others.

Illegal practice

The GOC also acts against people who are not registered, which is separate from fitness to practise. Under the Opticians Act, only registered optometrists and registered medical practitioners can test sight. The sale of optical appliances, including zero-powered cosmetic contact lenses, is restricted, and protected titles such as "optometrist" and "dispensing optician" can only be used by people who are registered. The PSA found that in 2025 the GOC closed all illegal practice cases within six months of receipt. If you are suspended or erased, practising or using a protected title can itself be an offence.

Performance and what is changing

Independent oversight

PSA review for 2025

The Professional Standards Authority's review, published in March 2026 and covering 2025, found the GOC met all 18 standards of good regulation for the fourth year running. It noted that the GOC's median investigation times remain among the best of the health and care regulators.

What is changing

Timeliness and business regulation

The median time to a case examiner decision rose from 41 to 55 weeks in 2024/25. The GOC's Strategic Plan 2025-30 and its fitness to practise improvement programme aim to bring times down. The GOC has also consulted on extending business regulation, informed by public research.

Support during a GOC case

Emotional support

Independent support service

A free, confidential emotional support service run by Victim Support is available to people involved in GOC fitness to practise cases. It is independent of the GOC and does not give legal advice. Call 0300 303 5392, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.

Advice and representation

Your professional body or indemnity provider

Contact your professional body, such as the AOP, ABDO or FODO, or your indemnity insurer as soon as you hear from the GOC and before you reply. The AOP also runs a peer support line on 0800 870 8401.

Health cases at the GOC can be sent to the Investigation Committee for a health assessment, and health-only impairment can never lead to erasure. Our guide to health and fitness to practise explains how to engage with that process. If you are in crisis at any point, Samaritans answers 24 hours a day on 116 123.

Your first week after a GOC letter

Work out what kind of matter it is. A consumer complaint about glasses or service may belong with the OCCS. A referral that passes the acceptance criteria is a fitness to practise investigation.
Call your professional body or indemnity provider, such as the AOP, ABDO or FODO, before you reply. Check that your indemnity cover was in force at the time of the events.
Lock down the clinical record, including retinal images, OCT scans and referral letters. Never add to or change a record once a concern is raised.
Note the 28-day window for representations to the case examiners. If you need more time, ask early and in writing.
Tell NHS England if you are on the ophthalmic performers list, and check your employment contract for any duty to tell your employer.
Begin targeted remediation: an audit of your own records, peer discussion of the case and CPD aimed at the specific gap, rather than general certificates.
Engage, even if the news is bad. The GOC lists non-engagement as a leading reason for erasure.

If records are part of the concern, a structured record keeping course is a practical first step. If you are anxious about how to respond to a patient after an error, see our duty of candour course.

Frequently asked questions

How many opticians does the GOC strike off?

In 2024/25 the Fitness to Practise Committee erased 6 registrants, suspended 21 and imposed conditions on 3, out of 42 cases it resolved.

Will the GOC investigate a single clinical mistake?

Usually not. Its acceptance criteria say a one-off clinical error is unlikely to amount to misconduct. Repeated or widespread failures, dishonesty or a lack of insight are more likely to be investigated.

What does the GOC investigate?

Only serious concerns, such as poor professional performance, health problems affecting work, inappropriate behaviour, being under the influence at work, fraud or dishonesty, and criminal convictions or cautions.

Who are the GOC case examiners?

Two people, one a registrant and one a lay person. They must agree. If they cannot, the case goes to the Investigation Committee.

How long do I have to respond to the case examiners?

You are normally invited to make written representations within 28 days. Ask early if you need more time.

How long does a GOC investigation take?

In 2024/25 the median time to a case examiner decision was 55 weeks, and the median from receipt to a final hearing outcome was 71 weeks.

What sanctions can the GOC impose?

A financial penalty of up to £50,000, conditional registration, suspension for up to 12 months, or erasure. If fitness to practise is not impaired, it can still give a warning.

Can the GOC fine an optometrist?

Yes. The Fitness to Practise Committee can impose a financial penalty of up to £50,000. Most other health regulators cannot fine registrants.

Can an optometrist be erased because of ill health?

No. Erasure cannot be imposed where impairment is caused by adverse physical or mental health, though conditions or suspension can.

How long do I have to appeal a GOC decision?

28 days from the day the decision is served on you. Appeals go to the High Court in England and Wales or Northern Ireland, or the Court of Session in Scotland.

How long can a GOC interim order last?

Under section 13L, up to 18 months. The committee must review it within six months and at least every six months after that, and an extension needs a court order of up to 12 months.

Can optical students face fitness to practise?

Yes. Students are registered with the GOC. They cannot be found impaired for deficient performance, but a student who is suspended or erased cannot continue training.

What is the OCCS?

The Optical Consumer Complaints Service is a free mediation service funded by the GOC for complaints about glasses, contact lenses and service. It is separate from fitness to practise.

Does the GOC cover Northern Ireland?

Yes. The GOC regulates optometrists, dispensing opticians, optical students and optical businesses across the whole UK.

What CPD does the GOC require?

For the 2025 to 2027 cycle, at least 36 points across four domains, 18 of them interactive, plus a peer review event and a reflective exercise. Specialty registrants need more.

Do I have to tell the GOC about a police investigation?

Yes. You must declare a current police investigation that may lead to a conviction or caution as soon as you become aware of it, not just at renewal.

How long does the GOC publish hearing outcomes?

Erasure determinations for five years, unless you are restored sooner. Suspension, conditions and warnings for 12 months, or for the length of the sanction if longer.

Do optometrists need indemnity insurance?

Yes. Section 10A of the Opticians Act requires every practising optometrist and dispensing optician to have an indemnity arrangement that provides appropriate cover.

Does a GOC case affect my NHS performers list status?

It can. In England, NHS England runs its own process under the performers list regulations and asks you to tell it about a GOC investigation. Removal from the GOC register means automatic removal from the performers list.

Is there support for opticians under investigation?

Yes. A free, confidential support service run by Victim Support is available on 0300 303 5392, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.

Primary sources

23 official documents, laws and judgments