GOC launches consultation on the process for registrants to update their registered gender
The GOC has launched a consultation on a new policy setting out the process for registrants to update their registered gender.
The General Optical Council (GOC) has launched a consultation on a new policy setting out the process for registrants to update their registered gender.
As part of our statutory duty to maintain and publish a register of all those who are fit to practise, we publish certain information about our registrants, which currently includes their gender.
This new policy seeks to make the process for updating gender clear and easy to apply whilst ensuring compliance with the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA) and the Equality Act 2010. It has been designed to ensure fairness to those who wish to update their gender on the GOC’s register.
As this would affect all of our registrants, we are seeking their views, as well of the views of other interested stakeholders on this policy and the safeguards that we would apply.
The consultation will take place from 12 December 2022 to 20 March 2023. Feedback will then be considered, with a view to implement the policy in mid-2023.
Declaration guidance for all student, fully qualified and body corporate applicants and registrants applying to join the register or to restore or retain their registration.
Identification form to be submitted with correctly certified identification as part of the application to apply to renew to the fully qualified registers.
For the 2024/25 registration period, there will be an increase in the main registration fee for optometrists, dispensing opticians, and body corporates of 6.6%, to £405, in line with inflation.
