EDITOR'S COMMENT
Protect the protectors
General Optical Council (GOC) CEO and " registrar Leonie Milliner's admission (page 12) to delegates at the Association of Independent Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (AIO) conference that the regula- tor has been told by ministers not to expect any parliamen- tary time to enact change of the Opticians Act for a decade, doesn't really come as a surprise. It speaks volumes for how well-qualified optometrists and dispensing opticians are viewed.
After talking up the role of primary care optometry as part of healthcare reforms in the run up to the general election, the Labour government has gone quiet. Not getting a men- tion in the recent NHS medium term plan should have been a been a big hint as to how the Department for Health and Social Care really sees things. If optometry has been courting the government's attention in recent years, they've definitely been ghosted by Wes Streeting in recent months. This may have been something to do with being on leadership manoeu- vres, though.
Answering the age-old question of, 'what does the GOC do for us?' Milliner told those at the conference that the GOC was not there to service the needs of its regis- trants, but rather, to protect public. In the context of Milliner's admission that the GOC takes in more than £11m annually from registrant fees, it's a question with merit, but one feels those registrants would be happier knowing that their fees were being used to enhance public protection through pushing harder for updates to the Opticians Act.
Complete public protection needs more than hearings and investigations. It needs an Opticians Act that is fit for the present, never mind a decade down the track. When you consider industry disruptor factors like artificial intelli- gence, online refraction and overseas fulfilment, the impact on public safety has never been addressed with legislative change. So much change will be introduced to the sector in the next decade, not all of it will be good for patients, and some change will create loopholes to exploit. The GOC can better protect the public by better protecting registrants.
Smartans Editor
CONTENTS
12 AIO conference
15 Party season
NEWS
4 7 Days News from the past week
6 In Focus Eyesight problems at work costs UK £21.4bn a year
7 In Focus Presenting a global, united front on myopia
OPINION
8 Viewpoint Listening for an opportunity
PRACTICE
10 Showcase The latest product news
MANAGEMENT
12 The voice and values of independent practice
AIO annual conference report
15 'Tis the season for celebration - not litigation How to hold an inclusive work Christmas party
CLINICAL
17 CPD: OCT masterclass 7 OCT, dry and wet AMD
25 On the frontline 19 Low vision aids - identifying customer needs
CLASSIFIED
30 Services
33 Recruitment
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Optician is the weekly, paid-for information source for optometrists, dispensing " opticians and the optical industry. For 133 years Optician has been the independent voice for eye care professionals, students and business owners offering breaking news, analysis and education. In print and online, Optician provides an array of clinical, business and technology articles, comprehensive CPD coverage along with the very latest in contact lenses, frame fashion trends and spectacle lens technology. Optician offers advice on careers and carries hundreds of job opportunities every week. Optician provides its readers with essential business help and offers a forum for eye care professionals and others in the market.
