Monitoring Report - General Optical Council 2023/24

We have published our performance review report for the General Optical Council. This monitoring report covers the period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.

Key Statistics

• The GOC regulates the practice of optometrists, dispensing opticians, students and optical businesses in the United Kingdom
• 31,4991 professionals on the register (as at 31 December 2024) 
• 2,913 bodies corporate on the register (as at 31 December 2024)

Key findings and areas for improvement

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The GOC met our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Standard. We saw examples of good practice in the way the GOC uses its staff networks to embed EDI, the way it shares learning about EDI and widening participation through its annual education reports and the way it uses the findings of its registrant and public perceptions surveys to inform its work. We identified a small number of areas for improvement, some of which the GOC identified for itself and is already taking steps to address. We will continue to monitor the GOC’s EDI activity.

Consulting and engaging with stakeholders

The GOC carried out several consultations this year, including on: changes to its standards for registrants and businesses; its Corporate Strategy 2025-30; and on a future model for business regulation. Stakeholders continue to be very positive about the way the GOC consults and works with them. The GOC’s new standards and Corporate Strategy came into effect in 2025 and we will monitor their implementation.

Quality-assuring education

We have previously found the GOC’s documented process for quality assuring education programmes to be risk-based and proportionate. We received positive feedback about the process this year, but also some concerns. We did not identify any public protection risks arising from the concerns, but they are similar to concerns we have received in the past. The GOC will also be transitioning to a new quality assurance process next year. We will use our periodic review next year to explore this area of the GOC’s work in more depth including the issues raised by stakeholders.

Accuracy of the GOC register

There were a small number of errors in the GOC's register this year that were concerning because they gave rise to public protection issues. The GOC acted quickly on each occasion to correct the register, investigate the causes and put measures in place to prevent and detect any further occurrences. We expect the GOC to closely monitor this area and we shall do the same through our periodic review next year.