Can I Work During a GOC Investigation? Optometrist Guide

Can you keep working once you learn there is a GOC investigation? For most optometrists and dispensing opticians the answer is yes, at least at first, but it is not automatic. A GOC investigation does not by itself stop you practising, yet the General Optical Council can ask a committee to restrict or suspend your registration while the case is looked at, and working outside those limits can make matters far worse.

This guide explains, from a regulatory standpoint, how a GOC investigation works, when you can carry on working, what interim orders mean, and which standards still apply while a case is open. It covers the regulatory process rather than clinical practice, which is outside the scope of this site.

What Is a GOC Investigation?

A GOC investigation is the process the General Optical Council follows when a concern is raised that a registered optometrist, dispensing optician, or optical business may be unfit to practise. Concerns can come from patients, employers, colleagues, or the public, and the GOC first checks whether a concern really relates to fitness to practise before taking it further.

Once an investigation is open, evidence is gathered and the case is considered by case examiners, who exercise the functions of the Investigation Committee and may be optometrists, dispensing opticians, or lay people. They decide whether there is a case to answer, and serious cases can be referred to the Fitness to Practise Committee for a hearing. At any point the Registrar can also consider asking that committee for an interim order, which is what affects your ability to work.

Can You Work During a GOC Investigation?

In most cases, yes. A GOC investigation on its own does not remove your registration or your right to practise, so many registrants carry on working while a case is looked at. What changes the answer is an interim order, which the Fitness to Practise Committee can impose under section 13L of the Opticians Act where it considers the public needs protecting before the case is decided.

During a GOC investigation, there are three broad possibilities:

• No restriction — you carry on working as normal while the investigation continues

• Interim conditional registration — you can work, but only within conditions, such as supervision or limits on certain activities

• Interim suspension — you cannot practise at all until the order ends or is lifted

The committee does not decide whether the allegation is true at this stage. It asks whether the risk to the public is serious enough that you should not practise unrestricted, looking at factors such as how serious the risk is and whether you have complied with any earlier undertakings or conditions.

Interim orders can last up to 18 months and are reviewed at regular intervals, commonly every six months. In some cases the first notice a registrant receives is notice of an interim order hearing, so check your post and email promptly once an investigation is under way.

What Happens If You Work Against an Interim Order?

Breaching an interim order is one of the fastest ways to turn a manageable GOC investigation into a far more serious one. Practising while suspended, or working outside the terms of your conditions, can lead to a separate allegation, a further interim suspension, and in serious cases erasure from the register.

GOC committees have erased registrants who carried on practising while under an interim suspension order, particularly where dishonesty, such as altering records, was also involved. If you are unsure whether an activity is allowed under your order, stop and take advice from your defence organisation or a regulatory solicitor before doing it.

Which GOC Standards Apply During a GOC Investigation?

The GOC's standards do not pause while an investigation is open. The current Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians, in effect since 1 January 2025, set out nineteen standards of behaviour and performance, and the GOC uses them to inform its fitness to practise decisions. In practice, three areas matter most:

• Honesty and openness — responding to the GOC accurately and on time, and being open about your circumstances

• Patient care and safety — continuing to meet the standards in every appointment you do carry out

• Professional boundaries and workplace conduct — areas the updated standards emphasise, alongside care of patients in vulnerable circumstances

What to Do If You Face a GOC Investigation

The following steps help an optometrist or dispensing optician respond sensibly to a GOC investigation, particularly on the question of continuing to work:

1. Contact your defence organisation or a regulatory solicitor as soon as you hear from the GOC

2. Read every letter carefully, and note any deadlines and any mention of an interim order hearing

3. Ask whether the GOC is seeking an interim order, and what restrictions, if any, it proposes

4. Follow any order or conditions exactly, and never practise outside them

5. Check your contract and insurance, and take advice on whether and when to tell your employer, since the GOC may seek information from them

6. Gather clinical records and complete relevant CPD, keeping a record of reflective learning

7. Keep copies of everything you send to and receive from the GOC

What Happens After a GOC Investigation Opens?

Once a GOC investigation is open, the outcome depends on the evidence. Case examiners may decide there is no case to answer, conclude the case with advice or a warning, or refer it to the Fitness to Practise Committee. Any interim order stays in force until it expires, is lifted at review, or is replaced by a final decision.

Whatever stage you are at, demonstrating structured insight, reflection and remediation strengthens any response. Many optical professionals use our CPD certified and accredited probity and ethics courses for optometrists and dispensing opticians to build that evidence, and practices supporting several colleagues can review our bulk-buy offer for group access.

For the standards themselves, see the GOC Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians, and for the rules that govern investigations and interim orders, read the General Optical Council (Fitness to Practise) Rules 2013.

Conclusion

A GOC investigation does not automatically mean the end of your working life. In most cases you can carry on practising unless the Fitness to Practise Committee decides an interim order is needed, and even then conditions may allow you to keep working. What matters is following any order exactly, staying honest and open with the regulator, and responding with insight. If you are facing a GOC investigation now, start building your evidence of reflection and remediation with our CPD certified and accredited probity and ethics courses for optometrists and dispensing opticians.

This guide is for general information and educational purposes only, covers the regulatory process rather than clinical practice, and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, contact a specialist regulatory solicitor or your defence organisation.