2018 archived consultation: Fit for the Future - Lifelong Learning Review

Closed:

11 Sep 2018

Opened:

17 Jul 2018

This consultation was previously hosted on our consultation hub. We have moved it here as part of archiving.

We asked

Thank you for responding to our consultation Fit for the Future: Lifelong learning Review. We asked stakeholders for their views on proposed changes to our CET scheme. Our current CET scheme was introduced in 2013, but the optical sector has changed since then and the work optometrists and dispensing opticians carry out has expanded and diversified. We want to make sure that our CET scheme continues to support our registrants’ learning and development needs, and continues to maintain the safety and quality of care patients receive.

You said

We received 994 responses from a range of stakeholders and we welcome this feedback. In relation to one specific proposal, we took into account stakeholder views and concerns on our plan to implement a transition CET year in 2019 and a new scheme starting in 2020. The consultation highlighted concerns about this timeframe for change, and having carefully considered this we decided to revert to our usual three year CET cycle (starting in 2019), with the aim of introducing more significant change to the scheme in 2022.

We did

We will continue to use all the feedback we received to help inform our policy thinking in this area and help ensure that our CET scheme continues to evolve to meet the challenges of the future. Moving forwards, we will also continue to listen and engage with stakeholders to help develop our policies.

Results updated 12 Dec 2018

This consultation is now closed. Thank you if you submitted a response. We appointed Enventure Research, an independent research agency, to undertake an analysis of data collected via the ‘Fit for the Future: Lifelong Learning Review’ public consultation. The consultation explored stakeholder views on the existing CET scheme and how it can evolve to meet the challenges of the future.

The full report, including an executive summary, is available on the link below. There is also a one page infographic summarising the key findings.

Files:

General Optical Council - CET Consultation - Final report, PDF document
GOC consultation infographic Final, PDF document

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Original consultation

Overview

This consultation seeks stakeholder views on our Continuing Education and Training (CET) scheme. Our aim in consulting is to gain your views on how our CET scheme can successfully evolve to help meet the challenges of the future.

As the regulator for optometrists and dispensing opticians we have a responsibility to ensure that:

our registrants maintain and develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours throughout their professional careers (sometimes referred to as continuing professional development (CPD); and
our registrants continue to be fit to practise (sometimes referred to as revalidation).

Our CET scheme covers both continuing professional development and revalidation. Demonstrating that registrants continue to practise safely and meet professional standards is an important element of building and maintaining public trust and confidence in the optical professions.

Why your views matter

Our current CET scheme was introduced in 2013, but the optical sector has changed since then and the work optometrists and dispensing opticians carry out has expanded and diversified. We want to make sure that our CET scheme evolves, supports our registrants’ learning and development needs, and continues to maintain the safety and quality of care patients receive.

We have already heard from stakeholders via previous engagement activities, for example, from our Education Strategic Review consultations that our CET scheme could do more to promote and embed a culture of learning, development and improvement in the professions. We have also heard a great deal of support for bringing forward changes to the CET scheme so that they better align with the changes we are making to the system of education and training leading to registration with the GOC.

We would like to hear your views on the proposals in the consultation to help us develop and finalise our policy changes - the consultation is divided into three main parts:

Section 1: Views and understanding of the current CET scheme
Section 2: Views on the proposed changes to the CET scheme
Section 3: Views on the proposed timeframe for introducing changes

We encourage you to respond to all the questions, but you are free to respond to as many or as few as you choose.