Guidance for people asked to attend a fitness to practise hearing

The majority of our hearings are held in public and in certain instances, part or all of a case may be heard in private. All hearings will be carried out by our independent Hearings Panel.

Where do hearings take place?

Hearings take place either: 

• virtually by either teleconference or video-link;
• on the papers (without the attendance of parties); or
• at the offices of the General Optical Council at One Canada Square, London, E14 5AA.

All attendees should liaise with us to confirm the mode of hearing and what measurements have been put in place.

Attending as a witness

Witnesses are vital to the regulation of the profession, providing evidence that allows fitness to practise hearings to be resolved fairly.

• If the hearing is being held remotely, we have published a specific witness guide on remote hearings. 
• If the hearing is being held in-person, information on how you can claim expenses can be found in our expenses policy.
• If you have any further questions about your hearing, please email [email protected] and we will be able to provide you with more information on the process.

If you would like to give feedback on a hearing, please fill out the witness feedback form.

Attending as a registrant

We understand that hearings can be stressful and so we want to ensure that you are prepared with as much information as possible.
Information on preparing for your hearing can be found in our hearings guide for registrants. 

• Hearings on the papers is a case management tool that we use to identify and process hearings that may be suitable for concluding and progressing without the need for attendance of parties. More information can be found in our Guidance for hearings on the papers.
• Agreed panel disposal is a hearing management tool that enables suitable cases to be processed without a contested hearing. 
• You can also read our guidance for case management meetings, designed to assist parties with our pre-hearing case management process. 
• If there is anything you do not understand or information that you cannot find, please contact [email protected]. 

Attending as a member of the public

Should you wish to observe any of our public hearings, please contact our Hearings team at [email protected] who will notify you whether the hearing is planned to take place in person or virtually. 

Remote hearings

If you’re attending a hearing taking place remotely, we have produced guidance for remote hearings.