Lay members of the General Optical Council’s Hearings Panel

Lay members of the General Optical Council’s Hearings Panel

As one of 12 healthcare regulators in the UK, the GOC is the statutory regulator for around 26,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, students and optical businesses.

Our primary purpose is to assure the health and protection of those who use the services of optometrists and dispensing opticians

We are now seeking to appoint 18 lay members to our Hearings Panel (‘the Panel’). Members of the Panel sit in two capacities:

• as members of the Fitness to Practise (FTP) Committee – this judges whether a registrant’s fitness to practise is impaired. If they find that it is, there are a range of sanctions they can impose against the registrant; and
• as members of the Registration Appeals Committee – this is constituted for the purpose of hearing and determining appeals against any decision of the Registrar refusing to enter the name of an individual or body corporate in, or to restore it to, the appropriate Register.

Initially, we are seeking to appoint eight lay members suitable to act as chairs of the Hearings Panel, to take up post by 1 January 2015. The interviews for these roles will be held in early November 2014: successful candidates will take up post as lay members on 1 January 2015, and will begin to act as lay chairs on 1 July 2015. For the remaining 10 lay member vacancies, the interviews will be held in January 2015: successful candidates will take up post on 1 July 2015.

For all roles, we are looking for individuals who are able to bring a fresh perspective, and we are aiming to recruit those from a wide range of backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from individuals who can reflect the mix of our registrants and patients, especially women and/or ethnic minorities and/or who live or work wholly or mainly in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.  You will need to be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills, the ability to process large volumes of (and often complex) material, exercise judgment, and demonstrate a strong capacity for empathy.

These are part time roles with a commitment of 20 days per annum. The roles are remunerated at £300 per day (£330 a day for members who sit as chairs). The initial tenure be up to five years with the possibility of reappointment subject to satisfactory appraisal. Most meetings are held in central London.

Closing Date for all applications: Monday 8 September 2014, 5pm

If you think you might have the combination of skills, enthusiasm and commitment  that these role demand, www.optical.org or email appointment@optical.org

The GOC strives to be as diverse as the public it protects and welcomes applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.