Welcome

About this course

Privacy, dignity and chaperoning are everyday aspects of safe optical practice. They shape how people are greeted, spoken with, examined, measured, photographed, fitted and recorded, and how staff respond when someone feels uncomfortable.

This course is for optical assistants, reception and admin staff, retail and dispensing support staff, practice managers, locums, temporary workers, clinical staff and other members of the optical team. It is practical and role-bound; it does not train non-clinical staff to make clinical judgements or to lead formal investigations alone.

The course uses GOC standards, consent principles and NHS England chaperoning guidance alongside local and national policy. The emphasis is everyday practice: protecting privacy, preserving dignity, explaining close-contact tasks, offering chaperone support, respecting boundaries, recording decisions and escalating concerns when needed.

Why this course matters

• Optical work can be close-contact: measurements, adjustments, imaging and pre-screening often bring staff into personal space or require touch.
• Retail spaces are public: appointment reasons, prescriptions, payments and concerns can be overheard or seen unless staff take care.
• Patients have different comfort needs: culture, faith, disability, trauma, age and communication needs influence what feels respectful.
• Chaperones support safety and confidence: they can reassure patients, assist with communication and help maintain professional boundaries.
• Concerns need a route: discomfort, boundary issues, harassment, safeguarding worries and complaints should be recorded and escalated promptly.

A simple learner spine

• Notice privacy: consider what can be heard, seen or inferred.
• Ask comfort: check before close-contact tasks, touch, images or sensitive conversations.
• Explain role: tell the person who you are, what you are doing and why.
• Offer support: use private space, reasonable adjustments, interpreters, companions or chaperones when appropriate.
• Keep boundaries: maintain professional distance and act early if someone is uncomfortable or behaviour is inappropriate.
• Record and escalate: document chaperone decisions, concerns and actions according to local procedure.

By the end of the course you should be better able to protect privacy and dignity while supporting safe, respectful optical care.