About this course
Zero tolerance of sexual harassment means safer workplaces, respected colleagues, and protected patients.
[podcast mini /media/goc-standard-15-sexual-harassment-intro.mp3]
Sexual harassment is one of the most damaging behaviours a workplace can face. It undermines dignity, creates fear, and erodes the trust that patients and colleagues place in us. In optical practice, the risks are heightened—close examinations, private rooms, and one-to-one encounters make safety and boundaries absolutely essential.
GOC Standard 15 makes it clear: preventing and responding to harassment isn’t optional, it’s a professional duty. But more than that, it’s about protecting people—your colleagues, your patients, and yourself. One timely intervention, one calm but firm response, one accurate record can stop harm from escalating and send a powerful message: this practice will not tolerate harassment.
This course gives you the practical tools to recognise, respond, and record safely. You’ll learn clear scripts, proportionate actions, and governance processes that turn zero-tolerance from a slogan into reality. By applying these skills, you help build a culture of respect and safety—one where patients trust you, colleagues support each other, and professionalism shines through in every encounter.
Sexual harassment undermines trust, safety, and professionalism. This course helps you recognise inappropriate behaviour, understand your responsibilities, and take action to prevent and address harassment. With clear guidance, you will be equipped to uphold GOC Standard 15 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 daily practice.
- Excellent scripts and scenarios for staff to use in the moment.
- Helps you spot subtle digital and non-verbal markers you might miss.
- Well structured — legal context linked to simple workplace actions.
- Valuable for managers setting up zero-tolerance policies and controls.
Aim:
The aim of this course is to meet GOC Standard 15 by equipping optical staff to recognise, prevent and respond appropriately to sexual harassment, protecting colleagues, patients and professional standards.
Course objective:
• Clarify legal and professional duties and give practical workplace actions to prevent sexual harassment in optical settings.
• Develop skills to identify harassment, apply immediate safety boundaries, document incidents and support affected individuals through fair processes.
Anticipated learning outcomes:
On course completion you will be able to:
• define sexual harassment in line with UK law and professional standards.
• recognise verbal, non-verbal, physical and digital forms of harassment in clinical and workplace contexts.
• apply immediate boundary-setting scripts and safety actions during clinical encounters or staff interactions.
• document incidents factually and securely and follow appropriate reporting and investigation routes.
• contribute to prevention through policy, environmental controls and supportive post-incident practices.
GOC Framework Mapping:
Standard 15: Professional Boundaries: Sexual Harassment
Domain: Professionalism
Learning content:
Understanding Sexual Harassment | Legal Framework and Professional Standards | Impact on Individuals and Practices | Identifying Sexual Harassment | Scenario Page 1: Identifying Behaviour | Prevention and Creating Safe Culture | Navigating Complaints and Processes | Scenario Page 2: Handling Complaints | Post-Incident Support | Scenario Page 3: Post-Incident | Expressing Personal Interest Respectfully | Scenario Page 4: Expressing Interest | Handling Personal Approaches | Scenario Page 5: Handling Approaches | Reflection and Continuous Improvement | Reading List
View full course description
GOC Standard 15: Sexual Harassment in Optical Practice
Course Description
Course overview
This course equips you with the knowledge and tools to meet GOC Standard 15. It focuses on recognising harassment, immediate safety actions, documentation, investigation and prevention tailored to optical settings.
Understanding Sexual Harassment
Defines harassment under the Equality Act 2010 and explains why impact matters more than intent. Covers how harassment can appear in clinical, retail and domiciliary contexts and distinguishes harassment from consensual interaction or banter.
Legal Framework and Professional Standards
Summarises the Equality Act 2010, Worker Protection duties, health and safety obligations for psychosocial risks, and GOC Standards. Describes civil, employment, regulatory and criminal routes and employer responsibilities, including vicarious liability.
Impact on Individuals and Practices
Explains emotional and psychological harm, effects on clinical confidence, team breakdown, patient trust issues and financial and governance consequences for practices.
Identifying Sexual Harassment
Covers types of harassment (verbal, non-verbal, physical, digital), power dynamics and single serious incidents. Includes environmental risk cues, rapid screening questions and evidence-preservation steps.
Scenario Page 1: Identifying Behaviour
Practical scenarios such as persistent jokes, inappropriate touching during dispensing, boundary-setting scripts, documentation checklists and preventive briefing suggestions.
Prevention and Creating Safe Culture
Sets out zero-tolerance policies, induction requirements, risk assessments, environmental controls, bystander expectations and contractor management to build a safer workplace.
Navigating Complaints and Processes
Guides first responses to disclosures, internal and external reporting routes, fair investigation practices, whistleblowing protections and interim controls to protect people and evidence.
Scenario Page 2: Handling Complaints
Shows steps for staff and patient complaints: confidentiality, interim controls, evidence preservation, investigation timelines, support phrasing and linking system fixes to outcomes.
Post-Incident Support
Covers immediate trauma-informed support, medium-term adjustments (rotas, pairings, coaching), team briefings to limit gossip, reintegration planning and recording adjustments.
Scenario Page 3: Post-Incident
Practical guidance on managing team fallout, reintegration of cleared colleagues, scripts to refocus on care, accountability and follow-up checks.
Expressing Personal Interest Respectfully
Sets principles for colleague interactions, off-limits groups (patients, direct reports), context-consent checklists, managing mutual relationships and digital boundaries.
Scenario Page 4: Expressing Interest
Examples of appropriate approaches, recovery from misjudged advances, apology scripts, recording actions and preventing gossip while maintaining professionalism.
Handling Personal Approaches
Guidance on responding to patient offers of gifts or contact, persistent colleague advances, refusal scripts, safety for domiciliary visits and escalation for repeated behaviour.
Scenario Page 5: Handling Approaches
Practical measures: gift registers, message escalation routes, interim controls (rota separation, IT blocks), evidence capture and follow-up policy reviews.
Reflection and Continuous Improvement
Encourages personal reflection, team drills, tracking indicators, governance ownership and embedding zero-tolerance into induction and appraisal.
Course completion
You will complete a feedback survey, take a multiple-choice exam and receive a CPD certificate. Apply at least one practical change in your workplace and measure its effect.
You can copy and adapt this example PDP entry for your own needs and circumstances.
| PDP Learning or Maintenance need |
| Understanding and applying GOC Standard 15 on boundaries and sexual harassment |
| How does this relate to my field of practice? |
| Ensures safe, professional interactions with patients and colleagues and meets regulator expectations. |
| Which development outcome(s) does it link to? |
| Standard 15 |
| What benefit will this have to my work? |
| Improves patient safety, team culture and reduces regulatory, legal and reputational risk. |
| How will I meet this learning or maintenance need? |
| Complete this course, practice scenario responses, update workplace documentation and apply scripts and reporting routes. |
| When will I complete the activity? |