Which GOC Ethics Course Fits an Optometrist or Dispensing Optician Facing a Concern?

Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal, MBBS, MRCS, MRCGP, Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics · Updated 7 November 2026

Which concerns a GOC ethics course fits

In optical practice the person who decides what the patient needs also sells the product, and a GOC concern is read against that fact. An ethics course fits when the concern is about:

• pressure in dispensing: an upgrade presented as necessary, or a patient who felt the advice followed the till rather than the examination;
• a conflict of interest: targets, commission, ownership of the practice or a preferred supplier that was not declared;
• a finding or a referral not explained, so that the patient learned of it later and from someone else;
• titles, qualifications, experience or advertising that a patient or a colleague says was misleading;
• a boundary with a patient or a colleague, where the GOC’s 2025 standards added a ban on sexual conduct with patients.

When the concern is only about the record or only about candour after harm, a different course fits better.

What the GOC Standards of Practice say

The current Standards of Practice for optometrists and dispensing opticians took effect on 1 January 2025. There are 19 standards, not listed in order of priority, and the GOC says that if someone raises concerns about your fitness to practise it will refer to these standards when deciding whether to act, and that you will need to show your decisions were guided by them. An ethics concern turns on:

• Standard 16, Be honest and trustworthy. The GOC’s standards document sets out under this heading acting with honesty and integrity, avoiding or managing any conflict of interest (declaring it, withdrawing, declining gifts and hospitality), ensuring that incentives and targets do not affect your professional judgement, honest statements about your knowledge, experience and titles, and clear information about costs before a patient commits to buying.
• Standard 15, Maintain appropriate boundaries with others: patients, students and colleagues, and never using your position to influence a patient for your own interest.
• Standard 17, Do not damage the reputation of your profession through your conduct, including online and on social media.
• Standard 19, Be candid when things have gone wrong, and Standard 8, Maintain adequate patient records, where a finding was not explained or the record cannot show what you advised and what the patient declined.

A response that cites the standard by number reads differently from one written in general terms.

Where the course counts in the GOC process

At triage, the GOC’s team reviews complaints, self-referrals and employer referrals against its published acceptance criteria (the version for individual registrants dates from July 2025) and decides whether the matter needs a further investigation. The GOC says triage can contact registrants and employers for an early view and consider reflection or remediation, so a course completed early, with a reflection, counts here. The acceptance criteria give falsifying records after a complaint as an example of misconduct, which is why the course tells you not to amend the records once a concern is raised.

In an investigation, investigators gather records, witness statements and, where needed, independent expert opinion. You receive the evidence and may make written representations. Two case examiners, one registrant and one lay member, read the evidence and your representations and can take no further action, with or without advice on your future practice, issue a warning, or refer the allegation to the Fitness to Practise Committee, which the GOC says holds a public hearing in the ordinary case. The Registrar, the case examiners or the Investigation Committee can also ask that committee for an interim order, suspending your registration or making it conditional, where there may be a risk to the public or to you. Your written representations are where the certificate, your reflection and your evidence of changed practice are read together; our guide to GOC courses for a GOC concern has the detail.

What the GOC ethics course covers

The course has eight sections and 33 lessons, with a reflective quiz after each of the first seven and a post-course assessment. It opens with ethics in optical practice and the role of the GOC, then the core principles. Its longest section covers the Standards of Practice, the Standards for Optical Businesses, the CPD scheme, the fitness to practise process, and insight and remediation in regulatory decisions. Later sections cover candour, shared decision-making in clinical and commercial contexts, and what to change at your next clinic: reach the clinical decision before any price is mentioned, say which elements are necessary and which optional, declare the interest, and record what you advised and what the patient chose. One part covers where a dispensing optician stands, which is not the same place as an optometrist.

When a different course fits better

If the concern is mainly about the record, Professionalism in Documentation covers notes, corrections and retrospective entries, the ground of Standard 8; our record-keeping guide explains what to show. If the concern is about how you conducted yourself rather than how a decision was reached, Professionalism and Professional Standards for Optometrists and Opticians is the pair to this one. If the letter uses the word honesty or dishonesty about a record, a claim or a declaration, Probity for Healthcare Professionals is the stronger choice. Unsure? See which course do I need.

Is it GOC-approved CPD?

The GOC’s CPD cycle runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027: 36 points across four domains (Professionalism, Communication, Clinical practice, and Leadership and accountability), at least one in each, at least 18 interactive, one peer review, a personal development plan and a closing reflective exercise. At least 18 points must come from GOC CPD providers. Our course is CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service, not by the GOC or any other regulatory body, so it is not GOC-approved CPD. It gives 2 CPD hours and a dated certificate.

The course for a GOC ethics concern, and for CPD

Courses that sit beside it

Bulk Buy covers the £79 courses: 3 for £200, 5 for £300, 10 for £500. Not sure what to take? Book a free 15-minute call or see every guide on complaints and hearings.

The CPD courses linked from this guide, Ethics and Ethical Standards for Optometrists and Opticians, Professionalism in Documentation for Healthcare Professionals, Professionalism and Professional Standards for Optometrists and Opticians and Probity for Healthcare Professionals, are by Probity & Ethics, written by Dr Shehzad Iqbal, CPD certified and accredited by The CPD Certification Service (provider no. 13197) and offered since 2020.

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