Covid-19 changes nature of complaints to OCCS

The Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) has published its 2020/21 annual report – ‘Supporting the professions to be fit for the future‘.

In this latest report, the OCCS reveals how Covid-19 has changed the overall complaint landscape in the optical sector – and how social distancing measures and government enforced restrictions have produced and exacerbated new kinds of complaints.

In 2020-21, the OCCS saw 1,411 referrals – with most of these complaints falling under the categories of ‘customer care’ and ‘goods and services’. This represents a 12.4 per cent decrease in referrals compared to 2019-20.

The five most common complaint scenarios referred to the OCCS in 2020-21 were:

• Consumer complains the prescription issued was incorrect
• Dispensing issues
• Delay in supply
• Fees and charges
• Services issues related to the attitude of practice staff

Complaints related to delays and attitude had not previously featured in the most common complaint scenarios referred to the OCCS, and this variation was likely to reflect the realities of day-to-day practice during the pandemic with the operational and emotional challenges experienced across the sector, the report concludes.

The OCCS is an independent and free mediation service for patients of optical care and the professionals providing that care, funded by the General Optical Council.

The GOC stated at its recent council meeting: “The GOC will continue to work closely with the OCCS to discuss lower-level complaints, which are unlikely to meet the threshold for a Fitness to Practise investigation. During 2019-2020, there was an 80 per cent reduction in referrals from the OCCS into the GOC’s Fitness to Practise team, and this low volume has been maintained over the last year.”

Read DO Online‘s latest OCCS Insights article here.