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Certified by The CPD Certification Service, UK

Probity & Ethics

GOC Remediation · Fitness to Practice · CPD UK Accredited & Certified

General Optical Council

GOC remediation courses for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians facing investigation or a hearing

CPD-Accredited, self-paced online courses for UK Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians responding to GOC complaints, fitness to practice proceedings and regulatory investigations. Every course is certified by The CPD Certification Service and issues a CPD certificate on completion.

CPD-Accredited Certified by
The CPD Certification Service, UK

At a glance

Who it is for
Optometrists, dispensing opticians, students and optical businesses facing a GOC case
Stages covered
Declarations, case examiners, interim orders and the Fitness to Practise Committee
Accreditation
Certified by The CPD Certification Service, Provider No. 13197
Access
Immediate, online, at your own pace
On completion
CPD certificate for your response or portfolio
Price
From £49 per course
6 yearsof providing ethics, probity and professionalism courses
1,000+healthcare professionals trained by us
28 courseseach certified by The CPD Certification Service

GOC Investigation Guidance

Which GOC remediation courses should you take?

The Core GOC Remediation Set applies to every case, whatever the allegation. Select the type of concern the GOC has raised and you will see those eight courses again alongside the ones that address your concern directly.

Select the concern the GOC has raised

Choose the heading that best matches the wording in your letter. The courses below change to match it.

GOC Ethics & Ethical Conduct Investigation

If the GOC has raised concerns about your ethical decision-making, consent, dignity, candour or moral conduct, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

GOC Professionalism, Conduct & Attitude Investigation

If the GOC has raised concerns about your attitude towards patients or colleagues, behaviour, incivility, teamwork or communication, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 19 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 9related areas that often arise alongside this concern

GOC Probity, Honesty & Financial Integrity Investigation

If the GOC has raised concerns about dishonesty, falsified records or timesheets, qualifications, expenses, theft or misleading an employer or the regulator, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

GOC Professional Boundaries & Relationships Investigation

If the GOC has raised concerns about inappropriate relationships, dual roles, gifts, online contact or chaperoning, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

GOC Clinical Practice, Competence & Patient Safety Investigation

If the GOC has raised concerns about clinical errors, medication or prescribing incidents, failure to escalate, record-keeping or patient safety, these CPD-Accredited courses could address the specific standards in question.

Primary recommended courses 19 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 9related areas that often arise alongside this concern

GOC Fitness to Practice Investigation — General

If you do not yet know how the GOC has categorised the allegation, or you face concerns spanning several areas, start here. This is the broadest cross-section of our CPD-Accredited catalogue.

Primary recommended courses 18 the 8 Core Set courses apply to every case — the rest address this concern directly

Further relevant courses 10related areas that often arise alongside this concern

All 28 CPD-Accredited GOC courses

Every course is certified by The CPD Certification Service, awards CPD hours/points, and issues a CPD certificate on completion. Each one appears as a core or primary recommendation under at least one concern type.

Bulk buy offer Any 10 courses for £500 Courses on this page are £49 to £99 each. If you are building a remediation portfolio, any ten of them are £500. See the offer

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Optometrists and Opticians

Helps you understand what the Standards of Practice expects of you, where the concern is about your judgement, honesty, or conduct towards patients. Supports you in handling it openly and writing the reflection a case examiner or the Fitness to Practise Committee will read.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£491.5 CPD hours/points

Module on Insight

Insight is assessed in every GOC case, whatever the allegation. Helps you understand what a case examiner or the Fitness to Practise Committee actually means by it, shows you how to demonstrate insight rather than assert it, and supports you in putting it in writing before a hearing.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£491.5 CPD hours/points

Module on Reflection

Helps you write reflection that holds up to scrutiny from a case examiner or the Fitness to Practise Committee, analysing what happened rather than simply describing it. Supports you through the difficult feelings that get in the way, which is why most people find this harder than they expect.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£491.5 CPD hours/points

Module on Remediation

Supports you in building a remediation plan around the concerns actually raised, rather than assembling a stack of certificates. Shows you how to record what you have changed and present that evidence to the GOC.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Fitness To Practice For Healthcare Professionals

Walks you through the process you are in: what fitness to practice means, why cases are opened, what happens at each stage, and what to expect if it reaches the Fitness to Practise Committee. A sensible first course if the letter you received is the first you have heard of any of this.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ethics for Healthcare Professionals

Helps you look honestly at a decision you made and why you made it, where that is what the concern turns on. Takes you through the situations that most often lead to referrals and supports you in showing what has since changed.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£992.5 CPD hours/points

Medical Ethics Course

A longer course for cases where several concerns have been raised at once, or where the allegations are serious. Helps you work through difficult decisions in clinical practice and supports you in rebuilding trust with your regulator.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£992.5 CPD hours/points

Professional Ethics Course

For cases where your honesty, integrity, or accountability in day-to-day practice has been questioned. Helps you see how these lapses usually happen and what they mean for patients and colleagues, and supports you in responding credibly during an investigation.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Professionalism for Healthcare Professionals

Some concerns do not fall neatly into one category. Reminds you what professional behaviour requires under real pressure, including fatigue and burnout, and helps you reflect on a lapse in a way the Committee will find credible.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Probity for Healthcare Professionals

If your letter uses the word probity, start here. Helps you understand what honesty and integrity mean in records, declarations, and money, and supports you in rebuilding trust through a documented remediation plan.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Financial Integrity For Healthcare Professionals

For cases involving money — claims, declarations, undisclosed interests, or financial conduct that has been questioned. Helps you understand how these cases arise and what they mean for your registration, and supports you in responding.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Professional Boundaries For Clinicians

Boundary cases are among the most serious the GOC investigates. Helps you see where the lines sit and how they are crossed gradually, often without intent, and supports you in putting credible remediation together.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues

For a relationship that became too close, contact outside work, or gifts. Reminds you of the warning signs and why these cases are treated so seriously, and helps you show insight and accountability afterwards.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Professionalism & Boundaries in Use of Social Media

Something posted, shared, or messaged online can lead to a referral as readily as anything in the consulting room. Helps you understand where the line falls on patient contact, confidentiality, and public comment, and supports you in showing your conduct has changed.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Privacy, Consent, And Chaperone In Healthcare Practice

Consent is among the most common causes of referral. Reminds you what valid consent requires, how it should be recorded, and when a chaperone should be offered, and helps you reflect on a case where any of it was questioned.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Ensuring Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice

A conversation overheard, records accessed, or something shared that should not have been. Helps you understand when disclosure is lawful and how breaches usually happen, and supports you in remediating one.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

Duty of Candour in Healthcare Practice

Being open after something goes wrong is a duty, not a courtesy. Reminds you what you must tell a patient and when, helps you apologise properly without admitting liability, and explains why the GOC treats failures of candour so seriously.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

How to Deal with a Complaint or Investigation

Takes you through being investigated: what happens, in what order, and what is expected of you at each stage through to a hearing. Helps you respond well, build your evidence, and manage the strain of it.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

£792.0 CPD hours/points

How to Avoid a Complaint or Investigation

Helps you recognise the situations that most often lead to complaints, and head them off — communication, boundaries, records, and honesty. Useful to you as remediation evidence, and as ordinary CPD if you have had a near miss.

CPD-Accredited Add to basket

In short

What are GOC remediation courses?

GOC remediation courses are CPD-accredited courses taken by an optometrist, dispensing optician or optical business registrant to evidence insight, reflection and remediation in response to a concern raised with the General Optical Council. They are not a GOC product and no regulator approves them: what they provide is independent certification and a dated record that you acted, and when.

This page carries 28 such courses, £49 to £99 each, every one certified by The CPD Certification Service under Provider No. 13197 and aligned to the Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians. Eight form a Core Set that applies to any allegation; the rest are grouped by the type of concern raised. Each awards 1.5 to 2.5 CPD hours/points and issues a certificate on completion.

No course decides a GOC case and no provider can promise an outcome. What a certificate does, alongside the reflection you write from it, is give the case examiners or the Fitness to Practise Committee something concrete to weigh — and because the case examiners decide on the papers, what you produce early is what they read.

Before you write anything

Who decides your case, and which register are you on?

The GOC keeps three registers and holds each to a different set of standards, and most cases are decided on the papers long before any hearing. Knowing which stage you are at changes what you should be writing and when. For a fuller walk-through of each stage, see our guide to GOC fitness to practise explained.

Three registers, not one

The General Optical Council registers optometrists and dispensing opticians, optical students, and optical businesses. Under the Opticians Act 1989 a body corporate is a registrant in its own right, and its fitness to carry on business can be called into question just as an individual’s fitness to practise can. If you own or direct a practice, a concern can reach you through either register.

There is no GOC code

You are measured against standards, and which set depends on who you are: the Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians, the Standards for Optical Businesses, or the Standards for Optical Students. A response written against “the GOC Code” is quoting something that does not exist.

Two case examiners, doing the Investigation Committee’s job

Under the Fitness to Practise Rules an allegation goes to two case examiners — one lay, the other a registered optometrist or dispensing optician — who are appointed by the registrar and exercise the functions of the Investigation Committee. They decide on the papers whether there is a case to answer, and can close it, warn, agree an outcome, or refer it to the Fitness to Practise Committee.

You may have to tell them yourself

Registrants must declare matters that may affect their fitness to practise, train or carry on business — health, criminal matters, findings by another regulator, ongoing investigations, or practising while unregistered. A declaration is not an admission and does not automatically create a fitness to practise concern. Declaring promptly, with evidence of what you have already put right, is read very differently from being found out later.

Interim orders can come at any stage

The registrar, the case examiners or the Investigation Committee can refer a case to the Fitness to Practise Committee for an interim order at any point, before any finding of fact. It is protective rather than punitive and is not a finding against you — but it usually arrives with a short deadline. Contact your defence organisation or professional body the same day.

What does not change, and what a course cannot do

At every stage the same three things are weighed: insight into what happened, reflection set down in your own words, and remediation you can evidence. That is what the Core Set below is built around. No course decides a GOC case, and no provider can promise an outcome — what a dated certificate from an external provider can do is evidence that you acted, and when.

GOC Investigations

Supporting Optometrists & Dispensing Opticians through GOC proceedings

Courses
28, all CPD-certified
Price
£49 to £99 per course
CPD per course
1.5 to 2.5 hours/points
Core set
8 courses, 14.5 CPD hours
Aligned with
Standards of Practice, 19 standards
Certificate
Issued on completion, downloadable
Accreditation
The CPD Certification Service, Provider No. 13197
Format
Online, self-paced, instant access
Who they cover
Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians and Contact Lens Opticians
GOC CPD cycle
No revalidation. CPD runs on a three-year points cycle, currently 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. Most registrants need 36 points, with at least one point in each of the four core domains, logged in MyCPD.

Facing an investigation by the General Optical Council (GOC) can be one of the most professionally challenging experiences of a Optometrist or Dispensing Optician's career. Whether you are subject to a fitness to practice inquiry, a complaint about your conduct, or concerns raised about your professional standards, demonstrating active engagement with remediation and professional development is a critical part of your response.

Our courses are purpose-built to help UK Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians respond to GOC concerns. Each course is aligned with the GOC’s Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians — the nineteen standards of behaviour and performance that came into effect on 1 January 2025 — providing documented evidence of your commitment to professional learning. The regulator publishes its own guidance on the General Optical Council website. Taking proactive steps to address the concern raised — through structured CPD, reflective practice and demonstrable behaviour change — is what GOC case examiners and the Fitness to Practise Committee look for as evidence of insight and genuine remediation.

All courses are CPD-Accredited and certified by The CPD Certification Service (CPD UK). Each course awards CPD hours/points and issues a CPD certificate on completion, which you can include in a remediation portfolio, in a written response to the GOC, or in your revalidation records alongside your own reflection.

Why These Courses

Why CPD-Accredited courses matter for GOC remediation

The GOC expects registrants to demonstrate genuine insight and measurable professional development. Accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is one of the clearest ways to show you have taken your obligations seriously.

Built to support your response

Every course is independently assessed and certified by The CPD Certification Service. The certificate, together with the reflection you write from it, is suitable for inclusion in a remediation portfolio or a written response to the GOC.

Immediately available

Access your course the moment you enrol. No waiting, no scheduling — useful when you need to demonstrate prompt action to the GOC or your indemnity provider.

Aligned to the GOC standards

Every course is aligned with the Standards of Practice, addressing the standards most commonly cited in GOC referrals, fitness to practice proceedings and revalidation portfolios.

The kind of CPD advisers ask for

Indemnity providers and regulatory solicitors routinely advise registrants facing GOC proceedings to undertake structured, certified CPD as part of a remediation plan. We receive recommendations from them, which is not the same as formal endorsement by any organisation.

Certificate on completion

Receive a formal, verifiable certificate for each course completed, to include in a remediation portfolio alongside your own reflection, or to share with your solicitor or indemnity provider.

Expert-developed content

Courses are developed by UK healthcare ethics and regulatory specialists with direct knowledge of GOC standards, the Standards of Practice, fitness to practice expectations and remediation best practice.

Life does not always go according to plan.We are here to help…

Author and course facilitator

Dr Shehzad Iqbal, course facilitator at Probity & Ethics

Dr Shehzad Iqbal

Course facilitator and author, Probity & Ethics

Dr Iqbal has designed and delivered ethics, probity and professionalism training for UK healthcare professionals since 2020, working with registrants of all nine UK healthcare regulators, online and face to face. He combines clinical practice with formal postgraduate training in healthcare law and ethics.

MBBS · MRCS · MRCGP · Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee

Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal. Last reviewed .

Key terms

What the GOC means by insight, reflection and remediation

Four terms recur throughout GOC correspondence. They are not interchangeable, and being clear about which one a letter is asking for makes a practical difference to how you respond.

Fitness to practice
Having the skills, knowledge, character and health to practise your profession safely and effectively. The GOC opens a fitness to practice investigation when a concern suggests that one of those may be in question. It is a question about current and future safety, not only about what happened.
Insight
Understanding what went wrong, why it happened, and the effect it had on patients, colleagues and public confidence in the profession. Insight is assessed at almost every stage, whatever the allegation, and it is the element most often described as lacking.
Reflection
Setting that understanding down honestly and in your own words, including what you would do differently and what you have already changed. Reflection is the written record of insight, which is why the two are so often confused.
Remediation
The concrete steps taken so that the same thing does not happen again — training, supervision, changes to how you work — together with evidence that they happened. Insight without remediation is an account; remediation without insight is a certificate.

These descriptions are our summary of how the terms are used in regulatory practice. They are not quotations from the General Optical Council, and they are not legal advice. Your defence organisation or solicitor should advise on your own case.

FAQs

GOC remediation courses: frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions from Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians facing GOC proceedings.

Will completing these courses help my GOC case?

Yes. Completing accredited CPD relevant to the concerns raised is one of the most effective steps you can take. GOC case examiners and Fitness to Practise Committees look for evidence of genuine insight, remediation and proactive professional development. A certificate from The CPD Certification Service shows structured, documented learning, and gives your written reflection something concrete to build on. How much weight it carries depends on the circumstances of your case, and no course can guarantee an outcome.

Does the GOC approve or accept these courses?

The GOC does not approve, accredit or endorse courses from any provider, including us, and does not keep an approved list. What our courses give you is independent certification by The CPD Certification Service and a CPD certificate recording what you studied and when. You can include that in a remediation portfolio, a written response, or your MyCPD record — and it is the reflection you attach to it that carries the weight.

How quickly can I access a course after purchasing?

Immediately. Access is granted as soon as your payment is confirmed — no waiting period and no scheduling required. If you are facing an imminent GOC deadline or hearing, you can begin your course and obtain a certificate the same day.

How long do I have access, and can I retake a course?

Twelve months from the date of purchase. The course sits in your account for that whole period, and you can return to it as often as you like, including after you have completed it and downloaded your certificate. Rereading the material costs nothing.

A certificate carries the date you completed the course. If you need one with a current date on it, that means completing the course again, which means buying it again. A repeat purchase of an online course made within your twelve months is charged at half the course fee; once the twelve months have ended it is charged at the full fee. Face-to-face courses are charged at the full fee whenever they are repeated.

Which courses should I choose for my specific GOC investigation?

Start with the Core GOC Remediation Set. These eight courses cover insight, reflection, remediation and rebuilding trust, and are relevant to every case whatever the allegation.

Then use the concern selector to add courses that address your specific issue: ethics and ethical conduct; professionalism, conduct and attitude; probity, honesty and financial integrity; professional boundaries and relationships; or clinical practice, competence and patient safety. If you do not yet know how the GOC has categorised your case, choose Fitness to Practice, or contact us for personalised guidance.

How many CPD hours or points does each course award?

Most courses award 2 CPD hours/points. The three short modules — Insight, Reflection and Remediation — award 1.5 CPD hours/points each. The Medical Ethics Course and the Professional Ethics Course award 2.5 CPD hours/points each. The Core GOC Remediation Set totals 14.5 CPD hours/points across its eight courses.

Do the courses count towards my GOC CPD points?

Yes. All courses award verifiable CPD hours/points certified by The CPD Certification Service (CPD UK). There is no revalidation at the GOC. Instead CPD runs on a three-year points cycle — the current one runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027 — and most registrants need 36 points, with at least one point in each of the four core domains and a Personal Development Plan at the start. Self-directed CPD of an hour or more is generally worth one point. Log what you complete in MyCPD, and keep the certificate.

I have received a GOC notification of referral — what should I do first?

Contact your indemnity provider or a specialist healthcare regulatory solicitor immediately. Alongside legal advice, begin demonstrating proactive remediation by enrolling in courses relevant to the concerns raised. Early action signals insight and genuine willingness to improve — both factors the GOC weighs heavily in case examination and Committee hearings.

Can I purchase courses for a colleague or member of my team?

Yes. Practice owners, clinical leads and optical business managers can purchase courses on behalf of registrants. Please see our bulk buy offer or contact us for team and group enrolment options, especially if several Optometrists or Dispensing Opticians need to complete the same course as part of a team-wide remediation programme.

Are these courses suitable if I am not currently under GOC investigation?

Yes. Many Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians take these courses as part of their proactive CPD, cycle planning or appraisal evidence, to deepen their understanding of GOC standards and the Standards of Practice, or to strengthen areas of practice they feel less confident about. Completing ethics and professionalism CPD is good practice for all registrants, regardless of regulatory proceedings.

Official guidance

Read the GOC’s own guidance

If a concern has been raised about you, read the source material directly as well as anything written about it.

What the Standards are actually used for. The GOC’s own Standards of Practice page is explicit about it: where someone raises a concern about your fitness to practise, the GOC will “refer to these standards” in deciding whether it needs to take action. The nineteen standards are not background reading — they are the framework your conduct is measured against, which is why remediation is most persuasive when it is written against them.

Read it on optical.org ↗

Probity & Ethics is an independent CPD provider. We are not affiliated with, accredited by, or endorsed by the General Optical Council or any other healthcare regulator.

Other Regulators

Remediation courses for other healthcare regulators

We run equivalent CPD-Accredited remediation courses for professionals regulated by other UK healthcare bodies.

Prefer a live course, or booking for a team? The same material runs as facilitated day courses via video link. Optical professionals can book a place on a scheduled date — see Face-to-Face Courses, £499 or £449 inside the Bulk Buy bundle. Organisations can arrange a session for their staff — see courses for healthcare organisations.

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