About this course
Collaborative practice means safer care, stronger teams, and better patient experiences.
[podcast mini /media/goc-standard-10-intro.mp3]
Think about the last time you worked in a truly connected team—where handovers were smooth, roles were clear, and every colleague seemed to anticipate the next step before you even said it. Those moments feel effortless, but they don’t happen by accident. They’re the product of structured, deliberate collaboration.
In optical practice, collaboration isn’t just about being friendly or helpful—it’s a safeguard. Every clear handover, every agreed escalation rule, every shared adjustment for a patient reduces risk, shortens their journey, and builds their trust in the care you provide. Whether you’re at reception, in pre-test, at the dispensing bench, or handling referrals, the way you communicate directly shapes patient safety and confidence.
This course will give you practical tools—like SBAR handovers, referral checklists, and structured team huddles—that make collaboration observable, repeatable, and resilient. When you put them into practice, you’re not just meeting Standard 10—you’re building a culture of clarity, safety, and trust. That culture is what transforms good practice into outstanding care.
Good optical care depends on how well we work together. This course shows you how to share information effectively, respect different roles, and build supportive professional relationships. With these skills, you can meet GOC Standard 10 with confidence.
This course is relevant to the whole optical team, including
- Registered optical professionals wanting reliable CPD mapped to GOC Standards
- Locums, jobseekers, and overseas practitioners needing to demonstrate current knowledge
- Colleagues addressing professional challenges who require structured CPD for reflection and remediation
- Managers and teams who want consistent, defensible training
CPD Time: 60 minutes (1 CE Credit / 1 Non-interactive CPD Point)
Assessment: 10 MCQs. Pass mark 80%. more…
On passing the assessment you will immediately receive a CPD Certificate.
Customer feedback on this course
- Clear, practical and directly applicable to our daily workflows.
- Excellent templates — the SBAR and referral checklist saved us time immediately.
- Valuable scenarios that helped the team agree escalation triggers and ownership.
- Inclusive adjustments section was practical and respectful to diverse needs.
- Well structured and easy to implement with locums and new staff.
Aim:
The aim of this course is to equip optical practice teams with practical skills, systems, and behaviours to meet GOC Standard 10 by delivering safe, patient-centred collaborative care across organisational boundaries.
Course objectives:
- Provide teaching on roles, shared language, and structured collaboration tools (e.g., SBAR handovers, referral checklists, team huddles) to support clear, reliable information flow.
- Deliver practical guidance and scenarios on cross-professional working, lawful information sharing, inclusive communication, and conflict resolution to maintain continuity of care.
Anticipated learning outcomes:
On course completion you will be able to:
- Describe core principles of effective teamwork and how collaborative practice (Standard 10) improves patient safety, continuity, and trust.
- Apply structured handovers and referral checklists (Standard 10) to escalate appropriately and communicate clearly across service boundaries.
- Involve carers and other professionals appropriately while managing disagreements constructively and documenting roles, decisions, and follow-up (Standard 10).
GOC Framework Mapping:
Standard 10: Working Collaboratively with Colleagues
Domain: Leadership & Accountability
Learning content:
Introduction: Why Collaboration Matters | Collaborating Within the Practice Team | Scenario Page 1: In-Practice Teamwork | Collaborating Across the Healthcare System | Scenario Page 2: Cross-Professional Working | Involving Carers and Families as Care Partners | Scenario Page 3: Family and Carer Collaboration | Inclusive Collaboration: Culture, Neurodiversity, and Disability | Scenario Page 4: Inclusive Collaboration Challenges | Managing Disagreements and Conflict | Ensuring Continuity of Care | Reflection and Continuous Improvement | Reading List
View full course description
GOC Standard 10: Working Collaboratively with Colleagues in Optical Practice
Course Description
Introduction: Why Collaboration Matters
This section explains how collaboration improves safety, reduces errors and supports continuity. It outlines the rationale for GOC Standard 10 and the enablers needed: role clarity, shared language, leadership and appropriate IT.
Collaborating Within the Practice Team
Covers roles and scopes for optometrists, dispensing opticians, assistants and reception. Learn scope matrices, visible signage, structured handovers (SBAR/SOAPE) and how to support colleagues under pressure while preserving psychological safety.
Scenario Page 1: In-Practice Teamwork
A practical scenario on reception red-flag handover and flashes. Demonstrates structured verbal prompts, record entries, respectful correction and private debriefing. Emphasises learning and documentation after incidents.
Collaborating Across the Healthcare System
Details a referral content checklist and clinical question, direct escalation routes, contingency plans and feedback loops. Discusses barriers such as time pressure and incompatible IT, and how to close the loop.
Scenario Page 2: Cross-Professional Working
Covers urgent hospital referral processes, minimum dataset, phone escalation and documentation. Includes safeguarding referral steps for children and respectful multi-agency collaboration.
Involving Carers and Families as Care Partners
Guides balancing patient autonomy with carer input, consent and capacity considerations, practical support for carers and boundary setting, plus accessible aftercare for carers.
Scenario Page 3: Family and Carer Collaboration
Shows how to redirect family-dominated consultations, engage children and assess competence, document roles and communication adjustments, and escalate when disagreement affects safety.
Inclusive Collaboration: Culture, Neurodiversity, and Disability
Covers cultural humility, communication preferences, neurodiversity adjustments such as predictable sequences and literal language, and reasonable adjustments for D/deaf and blind patients. Explains communication passports and accessible assets.
Scenario Page 4: Inclusive Collaboration Challenges
Practical examples for consistent adaptations, appropriate interpreter use, recording successful strategies and briefing the team. Addresses rights, confidentiality and safe consent processes.
Managing Disagreements and Conflict
Teaches in-the-moment time-outs, PACE escalation, debriefing and learning after conflict. Defines red rules for common flashpoints and leadership actions to maintain psychological safety.
Ensuring Continuity of Care
Explains structured handovers, essential record entries, referral attachments and access needs. Covers task ownership, recall systems, dashboards and responsibilities for closing the loop and follow-up.
Reflection and Continuous Improvement
Describes short huddles, mini-audits, cross-shadowing and shared training. Shows how to capture improvements in SOPs and measure impact via referrals, no-shows and patient feedback.
Reading List
Recommended reading includes GOC and legal frameworks, SBAR and handover toolkits, the Accessible Information Standard and interpreter guidance, plus referral and HES commissioning guidance.
Course Completion
You will complete a feedback survey, take the multiple-choice exam and receive a CPD certificate. The course focuses on practical implementation and team reflection to embed changes in practice.
You can copy and adapt this example PDP entry for your own needs and circumstances.
| PDP Learning or Maintenance need |
| Comply with GOC Standard 10 and strengthen collaborative working in optical practice |
| How does this relate to my field of practice? |
| Directly applicable to day-to-day practice interactions, referrals, safeguarding and inclusive care. |
| Which development outcome(s) does it link to? |
| Standard 10 |
| What benefit will this have to my work? |
| Improved patient safety, clearer referrals, reduced errors, better team morale and consistent patient experience. |
| How will I meet this learning or maintenance need? |
| Complete this course, adopt structured handovers and referral templates, and participate in team huddles and audits. |
| When will I complete the activity? |