GOC supports early move to Independent Adjudication Body

The General Optical Council today gave its formal support to transferring responsibility for hearings to a new Independent Adjudication Body at the earliest opportunity. The new body will be set up as a result of recommendations in the Government’s White Paper on professional regulation, and could take on fitness to practise cases from 2010. The GOC has already separated its role in investigation and prosecution from adjudication by creating an independent hearings panel. The move is in line with best practice to ensure that registrants’ human rights are protected and that all parties can continue to expect fair, impartial treatment. In the longer term, shared adjudication should mean more consistent FTP decisions across the healthcare professions.

News – 28 June 2007