The General Optical Council (GOC) is stressing that all full and business registrants must ensure their retention applications are completed correctly, if they are to avoid missing the 15 March deadline.
All practitioners must renew their registration for 2008/9 by submitting a completed application for retention form, along with payment, by 15 March. Those who fail to apply for retention by this date will be removed from the register on 1 April.
Deputy registrar Dian Taylor stressed that registrations will only be renewed if the form and payment are both submitted correctly. “There isn’t much time left so it’s important to get it right first time. Make sure you’ve included: professional indemnity insurance policy details; declarations relating to any criminal conviction, caution or investigation; the signed declaration; and £169 payment. If this or any other part is missing or incomplete, the application will be returned to the registrant.”
With two weeks to go until the deadline, a large number of applications are still outstanding. To date, 60 per cent – 11,169 registrants – have returned their form and payment.
From 1 April, a list of registrants not renewed will be published on the Council’s website, and copies sent to Primary Care Trusts.
Any registrant who has not received their retention forms should contact the GOC registration team on 020 7580 3898 (option 1) to make sure their details are up to date. Or email
Forms can also be downloaded from the GOC's website