Our membership includes a wide range of regulatory defence and support on demand and provides FODO members with access to legal advisors who are experts in health defence.

We have a long history of successfully supporting and defending our members, whether individuals, local, regional or national eye care providers in GOC cases and on other regulatory issues.

As a member you can benefit from:

• expert support with customer and patient complaints, reducing the risk of unnecessary escalation
• expert support throughout any General Optical Council (GOC) investigation, from the first notification to the day of closure; you will never feel unsupported
• expert regulatory and disciplinary support, including with NHS contracts, performer and ophthalmic listing, the Equality Act 2010, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Bribery Act
• and much, much more with bespoke advice when you need it.

So, whether you are an individual, local, regional or national eye care provider, when you need support with a regulatory issue or receive a complaint, you get the best advice and support there is without delay

Learn more below.

General Optical Council

Managing risk is an intrinsic part of health care. Even the best and most diligent clinician or organisation can find themselves on the wrong end of a General Optical Council (GOC) investigation and/or a false accusation.

We know how stressful this can be and have an excellent record of successfully supporting individuals and organisations and their employees through GOC investigations and fitness-to-practise hearings.

We choose not to rely on in-house lawyers because this adds unnecessary costs to your membership without demonstratable benefits.  Instead, with our legal defence teams, you will have access to external independent legal advisers  who are recognised experts in the field of health and eye care defence. Read more about the legal advisers we work with.

To support you through such times, we will also assign you an experienced team member who you can contact seven days a week from first contact until after the end of the case.  If remediation training is needed, we can help you with that too.

As a FODO member, you will get the advice and support you need whenever you need it. We promise you will never feel alone or unsupported if you face a complaint or professional difficulty. We will always be straight with you and be there for you as an individual.

Going upstream

Prevention is always better than cure. That is why we operate upstream, supporting members with bespoke advice and guidance so you can manage customer complaints and concerns promptly, reducing the risk of issues being unnecessarily escalated to the GOC, NHS or another regulator. 

Beyond the General Optical Council

Regulatory support is not just about the GOC. That is why we also focus on helping members succeed through a wide range of regulatory and disciplinary support, including with NHS contracts, performer and ophthalmic listing, the Equality Act 2010, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Bribery Act and much, much more with bespoke advice when you need it.

Whether you need support on NHS contracts, regulation, health policy or a different area of expertise, we are always here to help you.  Get the support you need to succeed in whatever career path suits you by joining us   - the UK's largest and most varied eye care provider community.