Response to the General Optical Council's consultation on its Indicative Sanctions Guidance

We welcomed the opportunity to respond to this GOC consultation on its draft Indicative Sanctions Guidance. 

In our response, we noted that aspects of the guidance should be improved to prevent clear negative impacts on fairness, promoting equality diversity and inclusion, and public protection. These points relate to the definition of vulnerable witnesses, which we believe should be expanded in line with a modern understanding of vulnerability, and the need for improvements to the clarity of the guidance in relation to hearsay, review hearings and sexual misconduct.