The General Optical Council (GOC) has today launched a campaign to recruit 20 registrants to its Hearings Panel.

The regulator is seeking 12 optometrists and eight dispensing opticians to fill the vacancies, which have arisen because the current panel’s terms expire on 30 June 2015.

Applications close on Monday 9 February at 17:00. Members of the Panel sit in two capacities:

• as members of the Fitness to Practise (FTP) Committee – this judges whether a registrant’s fitness to practise is impaired. If they find that it is, there are a range of sanctions they can impose against the registrant; and
• as members of the Registration Appeals Committee – this is constituted to hear and determine any appeals against any decision of the Registrar refusing to enter the name of an individual or body corporate on, or to restore it to, the appropriate Register.

GOC chair, Gareth Hadley, said: “We are looking for individuals who are able to bring a fresh perspective, which means recruiting from a wide range of backgrounds. Given the increasing divergence in the way our registrants are delivering their services, this includes representation from all four of the UK nations. We also particularly welcome applications from women and ethnic minorities. Applicants must be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills, the ability to process large volumes of often complex material, exercise judgment, and demonstrate a strong capacity for empathy.”

These are part time roles with a commitment of approximately 20 days per annum. They are remunerated at £300 per day. The initial tenure will be three years with the possibility of serving a maximum ten year term, subject to satisfactory annual appraisals. Most meetings are held in central London.

For more information, or to apply click here.

The College of Optometrists is leading the Optical Workforce Survey to gain a clearer picture of the optical workforce. The survey will gather key information about dispensing opticians and optometrists to build a picture of current workforce levels and the issues that will impact on its future.

At a time of increasing GOC registrant numbers, coupled with an aging population and a changing healthcare system, it is more important than ever to gather this evidence, without which it will be impossible to address any question about the current and future requirements for the optometry and optical professions as a workforce.

We would really appreciate you taking the time to complete this questionnaire and tell us your views. The questionnaire should take up to 30 minutes to complete and is divided into 9 sections. Some questions are compulsory in order to progress through to the end.

To take part in the survey please click here

Please note the questionnaire is only to be completed by fully qualified dispensing opticians.

All responses are anonymous. The design of the questionnaire allows you to 'go back' and change answers as needed.