GOC commits to duty of candour

The General Optical Council (GOC) has joined seven other healthcare regulators in pledging to put openness and honesty at the heart of healthcare.

A ‘duty of candour’ for optometrists and dispensing opticians will mean they must be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their treatment or care which causes, or has the potential to cause, harm or distress.

The GOC will include the duty in its new standards of practice, set to be published next year after a full public consultation.

Samantha Peters, GOC chief executive and registrar, said: “The joint statement shows our commitment, and that of other regulators, to promoting openness and honesty in UK healthcare. Our registrants provide fantastic care for their patients but, occasionally, things can go wrong and this can be extremely distressing. When this happens, patients have the right to know what has happened and what can be done to put it right. Patients also deserve an apology. It’s now vital that we work with patients, registrants and other stakeholders during our ongoing standards review to ensure we enshrine the duty of candour in an effective and proportionate way. I’d like to encourage everyone with an interest in our work to continue to engage in our standards review over the next year.”

To view the joint statement click here,