GOC launches ambitious 2025-2030 strategy for safe and effective eye care and enhanced public protection

The General Optical Council (GOC) has today launched its corporate strategy for 2025-2030. It sets out a new vision, safe and effective eyecare for all, and a new mission to protect the public by upholding high standards in eye care services.

The strategy builds on the GOC’s strong foundation as a high-performing regulator and focuses on three key strategic objectives:

• Creating fairer and more inclusive eye care services – addressing inequalities in access to eye care and supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce. This includes using research and data to highlight inequalities facing the public, patients and professionals; using our regulatory levers to help reduce barriers to people, especially those with vulnerabilities, accessing services; and tackling negative working environments.
• Supporting responsible innovation and protecting the public – supporting registrants to adapt to technological advancements and workforce changes while maintaining high standards of patient care. This will include: taking a more strategic approach to post-registration qualifications; reforming our CPD system so that it focuses on the quality rather than quantity of activity, and supports the expanded clinical roles of registrants; and extending regulation to all businesses carrying out restricted activities.
• Preventing harm through agile regulation – ensuring public and patient voices are at the heart of decision-making. This will include: investing more in our research activities, engaging better with patient groups and strengthening the user voice in our decision-making structures; shifting to a more anticipatory model of regulation that seeks to prevent harm based on a risk-based, data-driven approach that joins up our intelligence and insight; supporting workforce planning and patient choice by collecting better data about registrants and improving how we publish and share this with others; changing our governance arrangements and other internal processes in response to anticipated legislative reform.

Chief Executive and Registrar Leonie Milliner said:

“This new strategy sets some ambitious goals for ensuring safe and effective eye care for all. By fostering collaboration, embracing innovation, and enhancing our regulatory approach, we aim to improve outcomes for both patients and professionals.

While the focus of this strategy is on areas of change, we are also committed to continuous improvement across our core statutory functions such as maintaining the registers, approving qualifications, and managing our fitness to practise operations.

We recognise we are one of many stakeholders in a wider landscape of professionals and organisations working to improve eye care in all four nations of the United Kingdom for the benefit of patients and service-users. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with partners across the sector to protect the public and uphold high standards in eye care services.”