Do you need to know how to complain about medical negligence from your optician? On this page, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to complain about an optician, ensuring you can obtain the compensation you deserve in a case of negligent care.
Optician Negligence
Visiting an optician is something we typically do every few years, enabling a professional to detect any changes in our vision as well as any serious issues that may need to be addressed. Any form of optician negligence could result in serious vision problems or other health issues.
Experiencing issues with your vision due to eye surgery or other circumstances can be incredibly distressing, especially if you believe there has been negligence by your optician.
So, if you have suffered an injury due to negligent treatment by an optician, you might be able to make an optician negligence compensation claim against the practice. The important thing here is to know how to address your complaint effectively, which we will take you through below.
Explore our loss of eyesight support page, or take a look at some of our previous eye claim cases.
How to Complain About Optician Negligence
Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to complain about optician negligence:
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Address your concerns to the optical practice
The first step we recommend is to contact your optician or optical practice directly and communicate your concerns. Provide relevant details about your problem; this direct approach may lead to a resolution or review of your complaint. Just remember to keep a record of these communications, as they may be required later in the claims process.
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Follow your practice’s complaints procedure
The majority of optical practices will have a formal complaints procedure. Request a copy of this procedure from your specific practice and follow it as instructed. This may include submitting a written complaint, including any concerns or evidence you may have.
The practice will investigate your submitted complaint and respond within a set timeframe. If your complaint is not addressed in the stated timeframe, you can phone or write to the practice again.
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Attend a meeting
You may be invited to attend a meeting by the optical practice. You can attend the meeting if you wish, but if you really do not like the idea of attending, you are not obliged to do so; just insist on a full written response. However, if you do want to be a part of the meeting, we advise you to take someone with you to take notes.
Ensuring all communication is documented provides a clear account that we can review and advise you on further should the need arise. A written response can also offer our team a permanent record of the optician’s feedback or resolution, which we can review later and utilise to offer more accurate advice.
How to Take Your Optician Negligence Complaint Further
Here are the next steps for how to complain about an NHS optician:
If you are unsatisfied with the response from your optical practice, you might be required to take your complaint further. If you are complaining about a service funded by the NHS, the Health Service Ombudsman or NHS England may be able to assist.
Complaining about a private optician
However, if your complaint involves a private optician or a practice not covered by the NHS, seeking help from the Ombudsman is not an option. Instead, you can contact the General Optical Council (GOC) to report your concerns. The GOC is the regulatory body for optical professionals in the UK, responsible for setting standards and assuring complaints are addressed adequately.
The GOC regulates:
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Optometrists
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Dispensing Opticians
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Student Opticians
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Optical Businesses
By reporting your complaint, the GOC will review it and might execute an investigation into your practice’s conduct. This procedure can help ensure that any necessary actions are taken.
Alternatively, the Optical Consumer Complaints Service may also be able to offer you assistance. This service works to resolve complaints concerning private optical practices, offering mediation services and further guidance. See our page on how to complain about private care for more information.
If you believe you have suffered harm due to optical negligence and are seeking compensation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team of specialists at Medical Solicitors. We can assist you at all stages of the complaints procedure, help you understand your rights, and pursue any necessary legal action.
We conduct most of our loss of eyesight and eye injury claims under a No Win, No Fee agreement, or Conditional Fee Agreement. This takes the worry out of how you are funding bringing a medical negligence claim for compensation – you have nothing to lose in getting in touch with us.
We can also help guide you in how to complain about dental, GP, hospital, and nursing home negligence.