About this course
This course prepares optical professionals to meet GOC Standard 7 by conducting appropriate, proportionate and timely assessments, examinations, treatments and referrals. You will learn structured history-taking, targeted testing, red-flag recognition, inclusive adaptations and clear referral writing so another clinician can reconstruct what you did and why.
This course is relevant to the whole optical team.
CPD Time: 90 minutes (1.50 CE Credits)
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 everyday practice — excellent structure for referral writing.
- Improved my confidence in recognising red flags and choosing appropriate urgency for referrals.
- Useful adaptations for children and patients with severe vision loss — very pragmatic advice.
- Concise checklists and templates that reduced ambiguity in our referral letters.
- Well designed for interprofessional handover and medico-legal record keeping.
Aim:
The aim of this course is to ensure registrants can conduct appropriate, proportionate assessments, examinations, treatments and referrals in line with GOC Standard 7.
Course objectives:
• Reinforce structured history-taking and targeted examination selection to support safe diagnostic decisions within scope.
• Equip learners to identify urgent presentations, adapt assessments for diverse patient needs, and complete clear, timely referrals with appropriate documentation.
Anticipated learning outcomes:
The learner will:
• conduct thorough, proportionate clinical assessments based on structured history and patient priorities.
• select and adapt investigations and tests for children, older adults, neurodiverse and D/deaf/blind patients.
• recognise red flags and initiate appropriate urgent escalation or same-day referral.
• write concise, evidence-based referral summaries and document decisions and safety-netting clearly.
• reflect on cases to identify improvements and map learning to CPD and local quality processes.
GOC Development Outcomes:
Standard 7
Learning content:
Introduction: Why Appropriate Clinical Care Matters | Patient Assessment and History Taking | Scenario Page 1: History Taking Challenges | Clinical Examination Techniques | Scenario Page 2: Adapting Examinations | Identifying Red Flags and Risk Factors | Scenario Page 3: Red Flags in Practice | Treatment Within Scope | Referral Best Practice | Scenario Page 4: Referral Decisions | Documenting Assessments and Decisions | Reflection and Continuous Improvement | MCQ | Reading List
View full course description
GOC Standard 7: Conducting Appropriate Assessments and Referrals in Optical Practice
Course Description
GOC Standard 7: Conducting Appropriate Assessments and Referrals in Optical Practice
This course teaches proportionate, safe and timely clinical care in optical practice. It focuses on forming a clear clinical question from history, selecting targeted tests, recognising urgent presentations, adapting assessments for diverse patients and producing high-quality referrals and records.
Introduction: Why Appropriate Clinical Care Matters
Covers the purpose of proportionate testing, links to GOC Standards 5 and 6, and explains assessment quality, decision integrity and escalation discipline.
Patient Assessment and History Taking
Explains structured history domains (onset, duration, laterality, severity), systemic history, medications, functional impact and inclusive questioning techniques, including teach-back and interpreter use.
Scenario Page 1: History Taking Challenges
Addresses risks of rushed histories, re-opening targeted histories, probing for red flags and adapting for cultural and language barriers.
Clinical Examination Techniques
Covers selecting tests to answer the clinical question, sequencing (observation, VA, pinhole, targeted tests), adapting tests for children, older adults and disabilities, and ensuring validity and repeatability.
Scenario Page 2: Adapting Examinations
Practical techniques for children with attention difficulties, assessing patients with severe vision impairment, use of objective measures and documenting adaptations and reliability.
Identifying Red Flags and Risk Factors
Lists high-priority ophthalmic and systemic red flags, immediate actions and first aid, triage and escalation pathways, safety-netting and risk modifiers.
Scenario Page 3: Red Flags in Practice
Examples include retinal detachment presentation, headache with blurred vision and disc swelling, documentation and timing during escalation, and when to stop routine testing.
Treatment Within Scope
Outlines evidence-based in-scope interventions, safe prescribing/dispensing, contraindications, when to manage or escalate, and communicating outcomes and consent.
Referral Best Practice
Describes criteria for urgent versus routine referral, writing clear requests (key findings, negatives, urgency), explaining referrals to patients and closing the loop with audits.
Scenario Page 4: Referral Decisions
Covers managing patient refusal and capacity checks, balancing autonomy with duty of care, improving vague referrals with templates and team education to prevent recurrence.
Documenting Assessments and Decisions
Details essential record elements (history, tests, reasoning), pertinent negatives, linking images/measurements to encounters and protecting medico-legal records.
Reflection and Continuous Improvement
Guides structured reflection, cognitive bias analysis, micro-audits, peer review, updating local triggers and mapping improvements to GOC standards and CPD logs.
Course Completion
Participants complete a feedback survey, take the MCQ assessment and receive a CPD certificate. The course encourages reflection and application of learning in practice.
You can copy and adapt this example PDP entry for your own needs and circumstances.
| PDP Learning or Maintenance need |
| Demonstrate competence in conducting appropriate assessments and referrals under GOC Standard 7 |
| How does this relate to my field of practice? |
| Directly improves clinical decision-making, patient safety and interprofessional handover in optical practice |
| Which development outcome(s) does it link to? |
| GOC Standard 7 |
| What benefit will this have to my work? |
| Reduced missed pathology, clearer referrals, better patient communication and stronger medico-legal records |
| How will I meet this learning or maintenance need? |
| Complete this course, apply structured history/exam approaches, use referral templates and reflect via CPD logs |
| When will I complete the activity? |