Press release – FODO response to GOC commercial practices report

“Patient satisfaction is high and there is no evidence of harm, but as a community of eye care providers we remain committed to understanding how we can improve” – say FODO members as the GOC publishes its report on commercial practices in the optical sector.

FODO welcomes the General Optical Council’s (GOC) report on commercial practices in the optical sector.

The report is based on a thematic review, which examined the impact of commercial practices on patient safety across five areas: sales targets and incentives; booking practices; sight testing times; transparency of pricing and eligibility for NHS financial support; and sight testing for young children. The review gathered data through stakeholder engagement and commissioned research.

FODO is pleased to have contributed the views and experiences of its members, who between them deliver over 80% of primary eye care. This includes evidence from a survey of our members, which is cited in a number of places in the report.

The report’s findings include:

• Patients report high levels of satisfaction with their optical care, including with the time available for sight tests.
• There is no evidence of any patient harm arising from the commercial practices of optical businesses.
• Patients benefit from easy access to care – it is generally easy to book sight tests in advance without long waiting times.
• All multiple providers whose websites the GOC reviewed provided transparent information about prices and eligibility for NHS financial support.

We are pleased to see that the findings acknowledge the work of the sector in delivering high-quality, ethical and patient-centred care each and every day.

However, we are not complacent. The report highlights that while patient satisfaction and public confidence are consistently high, GOC registrant survey data show that some registrants have concerns about pressures they face in their practice, including the time available for sight tests and performance targets. We are clear that the care of patients and their safety must always come first.

We will review the findings in more detail and consider what we can do to address them, for example by refreshing guidance to support our members.

Sarah Joyce, FODO chair, said: “FODO members are committed to providing exemplary standards of care and service for their patients. We are pleased to see that the GOC has reported high levels of patient satisfaction and no evidence of any harm to patients from the model of primary eye care across the UK. However, as a community of eye care providers we will reflect on the review’s findings and continue to support our members and their teams to deliver excellent patient care, including helping individual registrants to speak up when they have concerns using the channels we have in place.”

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Note for editors

FODO, the Association for Eye Care Providers, is the leading national association for eye care providers in the UK. Our members provide the majority of primary eye care, including over 18 million sight tests a year and a wide range of other NHS eye care services.

The final report of the GOC’s commercial practices review is available here.