The General Optical Council (Therapeutics and Contact Lens Specialties) Rules Order of Council 2008

Amendments to the General Optical Council (Registration) Rules 2005

2.—(1) The General Optical Council (Registration) Rules 2005(1) shall be amended in accordance with this rule.

(2) After the entry for “Fitness to Practise Committee” in rule 2(1) (interpretation) there shall be inserted—

““independent prescribing specialty” means the specialty described in columns 2 and 3 of the entry at row D of the Table in rule 10;”.

(3) A new paragraph (1A) shall be inserted after paragraph (1) of rule 9 (information required for entry of particulars of a specialty or restoration of such an entry)—

“(1A) Where the application is for an entry relating to the independent prescribing specialty, the application shall include details of the applicant’s practical experience relating to the work and activities listed in column 3 of the Table in rule 10 in relation to that specialty.”.

(4) New row “D” shall be added to the Table in rule 10 (work or activities permitted for persons with register entries relating to specialties) below the entry at row C—

“D	Registered optometrist	Independent prescribing specialty	the prescribing, administration or giving of directions for the administration of medicinal products that are—
				(a)	for the treatment of ocular conditions affecting the eye or adnexa; and
				(b)	specified in article 3 of the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997(2),
			other than those that are controlled drugs or for parenteral administration.”.

(5) A new rule 11A shall be inserted after rule 11 (performance of work or activities without entry in the register relating to specialty)—

“Exceptions in relation to performance of work or activities without entry in the register relating to a specialty

11A.   Rule 11 shall not apply to the work or activities listed in column 3 of the entry at row A of the Table in rule 10 where performed by—

(a) a registered optometrist;

(b) a registered dispensing optician who is undertaking a course of study which will lead, after successful completion of an examination, to an approved qualification—

(i) in the fitting of contact lenses, or

(ii) as an optometrist; or

(c) a registered student, who may fit a contact lens pursuant to rule 3 of the Rules on the Fitting of Contact Lenses 1985(3).”.

(6) In rule 13(1) (entry and restoration of an entry relating to a specialty in a register), new subparagraph (aa) shall be inserted after subparagraph (a)—

“(aa) in the case of the independent prescribing specialty, the applicant has had adequate practical experience relating to the work or activities listed in column 3 of the Table in rule 10 in relation to that specialty;”.

(7) Rule 20 (removal of registration) shall be amended as follows—

(a) a new paragraph (1A) shall be inserted after paragraph (1)—

“(1A) The registrar may remove the entry of an independent prescribing specialty against the name of a registrant whose name is entered on an appropriate register if he is not satisfied that that registrant is entitled, under rule 13, to have that specialty entered against his name on that register.”; and

(b) the following paragraph shall be substituted for paragraph (2)—

“(2) Where, pursuant to this rule, the registrar removes from a register a registrant’s name or the entry against his name for an independent prescribing specialty, the registrar shall send a notice to the registrant giving details of the action taken and stating the reasons for it.”.

(1)

Scheduled to S.I. 2005/1478 and amended by S.I. 2007/3101.

(2)

S.I. 1997/1830 amended by S.I. 1998/108, S.I. 2002/549, S.I. 2003/696 and S.I. 2008/464.

(3)

Scheduled to S.I. 1985/856 and amended by S.I. 2005/848.