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The 2021/22 annual performance of the General Optical Council (GOC) by the Professional Services Authority (PSA) reveals that the GOC has now become only the third healthcare regulator to pass all 18 standards of good regulation, the KPI objectives for healthcare regulators. The final goal –timely resolution of Fitness to Practise (FtP) complaints have now met the PSA requirements. Our congratulations to all at the GOC for the many years of hard work to secure this achievement. This will have a direct impact on the lives of individual registrants, complainants and strengthens the confidence in regulation of optical professionals.
This encouraging insight is all the more positive for the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) as the team has worked closely with the FtP team at the GOC over the past few years to provide practical independent support to optimise the early stages of the FtP process and help shape it into one that is as effective as possible. In particular, there has been a strong emphasis on ensuring that only the most appropriate FtP complaints enter the system to begin with. What this means is that the GOC FtP team is able to work with greater efficiency and focus exclusively on complaints that do involve clear allegations of impaired fitness to practise.
Ultimately, by working closely alongside the FtP team, it has been possible for the OCCS to help the regulator to achieve these remarkable results that are rightly being celebrated in this recent performance review assessment. With effective collaboration to more proportionately manage and resolve low level complaints, regulators can continue to benefit from insight analysis and upstreaming, while reducing the demands in the early phases of the FtP process.
Indeed, by coaching proportionate triaging and supporting FtP teams from afar, it’s possible for mediation teams to have a real and measurable impact for both Registrants and Complainants, and the Regulator themselves.
Jennie Jones, Director at Nockolds Resolution who run the Optical Consumer Complaint Service (OCCS) congratulates the GOC team:
The efficacy of our approach is borne out by data, with a recent report from the General Optical Council (GOC) describing how: “The PSA performance review recognises the long term strategy and incremental changes which have been implemented by Dionne Spence and the FtP team at the GOC. I’m delighted to see the important ‘timeliness’ improvements coming through, as these have a direct impact on those regulated and protected by the GOC. I’m proud of the role that complaint mediation, via the OCCS, has played, in delivering this crucial standard and building a proportionate, person centred and effective approach. We are now committed to ensuring that we take the time to explore how this success and impact can be sustained, shared and replicated in other areas of healthcare regulation.”
In addition, Dionne Spence, Director of Regulatory Operations at the GOC explained how:
“The PSA performance review recognises the long term strategy and incremental changes
which have been implemented by Dionne Spence and the FtP team at the GOC. I’m delighted to see the important ‘timeliness’ improvements coming through, as these have a direct impact on those regulated and protected by the GOC. I’m proud of the role that complaint mediation, via the OCCS, has played, in delivering this crucial standard and building a proportionate, person centred and effective approach. We are now committed to ensuring that we take the time to explore how this success and impact can be sustained, shared and replicated in other areas of healthcare regulation.”
To discover how our teams can work alongside yours, be sure to get in touch with a member of our team today via enquiries@opticalcomplaints.co.uk or call 0344 800 5071. We’ll be more than happy to discuss all of the training and resources available to ensure that your team is able to quickly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your FtP processes.
