Speaking up

54. You can speak up to the GOC about any concerns that you have. We will either investigate, or if we do not have the power to investigate ourselves, we will direct you to the appropriate authority that can do so.

55. We follow similar processes when looking into speaking up concerns as we do when investigating fitness to practise complaints. Whilst the processes may vary slightly depending on the circumstances of the individual case, you can expect that it will broadly look like the process set out in our How to make a complaint leaflet available on our website.

56. If you need to speak up to the GOC, or you think you may need to but are unsure, you should contact the GOC’s designated Speaking Up contact on speakingup@optical.org and 020 7307 3466. They cannot provide you with legal advice, but are able to listen, advise you on the GOC’s remit and talk you through how your concerns would be acted upon if you raised them. Your initial discussion with them would be confidential and there would be no obligation to speak up at that point.

57. You may be able to speak up to us anonymously, but in most cases, remaining anonymous will limit our ability to take action in response to your concerns. Anonymity may also affect your ability to be legally protected from discrimination as a result of raising your concerns (see section D of this guidance). Our Speaking Up contact can talk to you about why we might not be able to take action if you remain anonymous.