GOC appoints doctors to advisory committees

The General Optical Council (GOC) has appointed three new doctors to its statutory advisory committees.

The committee members will provide expert advice on key areas of the GOC’s work, particularly in how it links with medicine and the work of doctors.

Speaking about the appointments GOC Chair, Gareth Hadley, said “We have always had doctors on our committees in line with our constitution but with the way the optical professions are changing, nowadays their advice to us takes on a greater importance than ever before.

“With an increase in multidisciplinary working, and optometrists and dispensing opticians taking on more enhanced service roles that were traditionally the domain of ophthalmologists, it is more vital than ever that the Council has the right knowledge and expertise from the world of medicine.

“Our new appointees have a wide range of expertise from different areas of practice. They will all bring that expertise to their new roles and I very much look forward to working with them.”

Dr Wayne Lewis joins the GOC’s Companies and Investigations Committees. Wayne has worked as a GP partner since 1995. He was involved in medical education, particularly undergraduate teaching, until 2010 when he took on a performance assessment role with the General Medical Council. He has also worked for the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales as a GP advisor.

Dr Cecilia Fenerty joins the GOC’s Standards Committee. Cecilia is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH) and runs a specialist tertiary referral service for complex adult and paediatric glaucoma. Cecilia has also had roles with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the College of Optometrists.

Dr Imran Jawaid joins the GOC’s Education Committee. Imran is currently an ophthalmology registrar and former optometrist, he has a keen interest in medical education for optometrists and is a director at Optometry Consultancy.

All the appointees take up their positions on 1 March 2018.