This page provides information on and links to England specific regulations, enhanced services and updates on national/ local activity. If you can’t find what you are looking for or would like to speak directly with our team please contact Debbie McGill dmcgill@abdo.org.uk
9 March 2022
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said it will increase GOS sight test fees in England by 2 per cent from April 2022. This follows a 1.9 per cent increase in April 2021. The GOS CET allowances and pre-registration supervision grants will also rise by 2 per cent.
This year the OFNC again pressed DHSC and NHS England to address the chronic underfunding of the NHS sight test as well as to close the widening gap between GOS fees and inflation. At the time of the bid, the Bank of England was already forecasting inflation to peak at 5 per cent in 2022 before correcting to 2 per cent in 2024.
As a result, the OFNC had proposed that the sight test fee should be increased to £23.26 (+7 per cent) whereas DHSC is proposing £22.14.
The OFNC is acutely disappointed with this response and has left DHSC in no doubt that the proposed 2 per cent increase will be a blow to primary eye care providers who have shown an active commitment to delivering health care throughout the pandemic to meet public needs and reduce pressures on secondary care.
With inflation rapidly rising month by month, we have made it clear to DHSC that this is real terms cut to funding and that the ongoing underfunding of primary eye care in England is likely to result in reduced capacity exactly when patients and the NHS need it most.
The DHSC has also laid regulations which will increase NHS optical voucher values by 2 per cent from April 2022. Voucher values are an important patient benefit for those that need this support, and it is right that they are increasing after 6 years of being frozen and declining in real terms.
GOS Fees and Grants 2022-23
Vouchers at a Glance
The optical bodies will be issuing an updated Vouchers at a Glance to reflect the new patient voucher values as soon as possible.
Primary eye care has long been able to deliver a wide range of NHS care outside hospitals, including diagnosis, treatment, follow-up to surgery, and the co-management of long-term conditions.
Through NHS England’s National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme, commissioners are being encouraged to take advantage of the full range of clinical expertise and infrastructure primary eye care has to offer, recognising it as the equivalent of general practice.
This is driven by the need to tackle outpatient waits, eliminate the risks of avoidable sight loss and address hospital capacity pressures which existed prior to Covid, and have increased significantly during the pandemic. The expansion of care outside hospital is also key to outpatient transformation and bringing the benefits of integrated care closer to home for an ageing population.
To help the NHS achieve this vital service transformation, the national optical bodies have worked with NHS England to develop an Optometry First model to be commissioned at scale utilising a consistent service specification.
Optometry First describes a comprehensive primary eye care service. It builds on the principles of CUES and reflects the vision of the College of Optometrists, Royal College of Ophthalmologists and wider optical representative bodies for a joint vision for safe and sustainable patient eye care services.
It will improve efficiency and accuracy of case-finding, extend the scope of care available within primary eye care and improve patient experience and opportunities for self-care. The model employs the core competencies of optometrists, dispensing opticians and their practice team, supported by higher qualified primary care practitioners and the multidisciplinary hospital ophthalmology team, where necessary, across a network of local optometric practices and the hospital eye service.
The service will ensure that primary care practitioners can offer first contact care through to resolution whilst also providing continuity of care for people with a long-term condition closer to home.
NHS England now wishes to test this model by working intensively with a small number of systems, as well as continuing to work more widely, with a view to strengthening the evidence base and demonstrating a route to scaling up across England. This is an approach supported by all optical bodies.
The willingness of primary eyecare to participate is a key criterion for ICS selection. Therefore, we are urging practices and their whole practice teams to demonstrate their willingness by getting involved if their area is selected to test this new model of care. In the first instance please contact your LOC for further information who will link directly with the ICS, LOCSU and other representative organisations.
If you would like to learn more about Optometry First, please contact your LOC, LOCSU or your representative body. You can also apply for an account on the FutureNHS Collaboration Platform and view the Optometry First Toolkit online.
Afghan relocation and resettlement schemes – guidance for optometry practices
Individuals and families arriving into the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme or Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme (ACRS) will be entitled to free NHS care. People supported by UK Visas and Immigration (UKV&I) under section 95 are issued with HC2 certificates, usually within 2 weeks of their arrival. However, if the patient attends an optometry practice but has not yet received their HC2 certificate, the advice to the practice is as follows: · Do not refuse the eye care service, or see them as a private patient. · Complete the GOS form as standard, recording the bridging hotel as the patient’s address. · Tick ‘Universal credit’ as the eligibility criteria. · Tick the ‘Evidence not seen’ option. · Keep a note on the patient’s record that the eligibility category had been selected as per guidance from NHS England & NHS Improvement on submitting GOS claims for Afghan refugees. |
Read the England Health and Care Bill here.
Results from a CCEHC survey highlight the need to review commissioning and provision of low vision services to deliver more accessible and integrated care for patients in England.
The Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCEHC) which represents the major clinical professions and sight loss charity organisations in the eye-care sector, has conducted a survey on the commissioning and provision of low vision assessment services in England.
The survey was conducted for five weeks from 5th April 2021 to gain an understanding of the impact of the pandemic on low vision assessment services between April 2020 – March 2021. The survey showed that prior to the pandemic, there was variation in the use of service specifications, protocols and thresholds for low vision assessment. Since the pandemic service provision has been challenging, with deployed clinical staff, patients and some practitioners shielding, and lower clinic numbers to maintain distancing. This has been associated with a significant fall in certifications of visual impairment during lockdown periods.
You can read the survey results here.
Based on these findings, the CCEHC makes the following recommendations, and calls for low vision services to be included in system recovery and transformation planning:
Manage low vision assessment backlogs by:
Review existing low vision service provision (demand and capacity), protocols and pathways to:
Develop service specifications and quality standards for integrated low vision care as part of a whole systems approach to:
Ms Parul Desai, CCEHC Chair commented, “Many providers have tried to ensure safe services and looked to innovative solutions. The learning from COVID-19 is already changing the way some low vision services are delivered. We encourage all commissioners and providers of eye health services to review their current low vision assessment service provision, particularly use of remote consultations for pre-assessment review and follow up /monitoring; and their processes for ensuring equitable access to services meeting consistent standards of care. The development of more integrated low vision services has significant benefits for patients, practitioners and organisations across health and social care. The CCEHC will be considering further phases of work to monitor progress.#2
Debbie McGill, Head of Policy and Public Affairs for ABDO said, “We were pleased to be involved in this piece of work and ask that NHSE consider the findings with a view to deliver a national low vision service in England to provide our ageing population with the eye care support they need, close to their homes. Dispensing opticians are well placed in optical practices to provide this care and advice.”
25 March 2021
The Department of Health and Social Care has said it will increase GOS sight test fees by 1.9 per cent from April 2021. The GOS CET allowances and pre-registration supervision grants will also rise by the same percentage.
The fees for GOS sight tests in England were last increased in April 2015 by 1per cent. Since then the sector has seen five consecutive years with no fee increase, while contractors’ costs have continued to rise.
The OFNC had pressed for urgent action to address the widening gap between NHS sight test fees and inflation, and the relative underfunding of primary eye care compared to other NHS care.
Paul Carroll, OFNC Chair, said: “The 1.9 per cent increase, welcome though it is, does not fully address the erosion of GOS fees by inflation in recent years.”
“After 5 years without any increase to reflect the rising costs of care, a 1.9 per cent increase in GOS fees now will understandably disappoint a loyal and hard-working sector, which has gone the extra mile in keeping eye care services running over the past year when hospital care was often just not available. Nevertheless, we take it as a signal that the Government and NHS England have at last understood the value of primary eye care and the need to move towards fairer treatment of GOS contractors in the future.”
“We hope this is the first small step on a journey to a properly funded national sight-testing infrastructure to help meet growing eye health need, focus on prevention and deliver more care outside hospital closer to home.”
Read the OFNC response letter here
Read the Department of Health and Social care letter here
Read the OFNC case for increase here
29 October 2019
Yesterday Primary Care Support England (PCSE) launched the online Ophthalmic Payment service, which is now live. This means that all users of the PCSE Online service can now submit GOS 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 forms online.
The full service, has also incorporated feedback from their early adopter users, to deliver even better functionality. This includes the auto population of claim values in GOS3 vouchers based on prescription entered, which will greatly improve the accuracy of claims.
PCSE will also be introducing some additional enhancements over the coming weeks, as a result of early adopter feedback including:
They expect to have these upgrades deployed by mid-November.
Updated User Guides will also be available for all GOS forms soon. These will include step by step instructions on submitting GOS4s, PVNs and GOS6s, and updated information on GOS1, GOS3 and GOS5. You can find out more via their website.
If you have any questions, please do get in touch with the team via pcse.optomengagement@nhs.net
ABDO, as part of the Optical Confederation, are still engaged with PCSE and NHS England regarding the cut-off date for submission of paper claims and we will keep our members informed regarding this and other updates.
Regional Lead: Abi Page FBDO
Email apage@abdoregions.org.uk
Local Leads
Natasha Beckwood FBDO
Jayshree Vasani FBDO
Ian Anderson FBDO
Email your local lead using the format initialsurname@abdoregions.org.uk
Regional Lead: Richard Rawlinson FBDO
Email rrawlinson@abdoregions.org.uk
Local Leads
Kay Bagshaw FBDO
Saima Begum FBDO
Safa Che Noh FBDO
Mike Cody FBDO
Sarah Edge FBDO
Ian Hardwick FBDO
Tony Harvey FBDO
Simone Mason FBDO BSc (Hons) SLD
Kelly Nixon FBDO
Kimberley O’Donnell FBDO
Lesley Parkinson FBDO CL
Andrew Slater FBDO
John Southgate FBDO
Sarah Stokes FBDO
Les Thomas FBDO
Gaynor Whitehouse FBDO
Email your local lead using the format initialsurname@abdoregions.org.uk
Regional Lead: Richard Rawlinson FBDO
Email rrawlinson@abdoregions.org.uk
Local Leads
Lorraine Bleasdale FBDO
Hafiza Hakim FBDO
Michaela Henderson FBDO
Lynda Matthias FBDO
Letitia McLaughlin FBDO
Lesley Oglethorpe FBDO CL
East Patel FBDO
Rupesh Patel FBDO
Sarah Pencott FBDO
Emma Pilkington-Pugh FBDO
Amy Seaman FBDO
Joshua Smith FBDO
Cheryl Hill FBDO
Jill Umpleby FBDO
Daniel Wilson-Green FBDO
Cindy Woodcock FBDO
Email your local lead using the format initialsurname@abdoregions.org.uk
Regional Lead: Stuart Pell FBDO CL SMC(Tech)
Email spell@abdoregions.org.uk
Local Leads
Liza Bacon FBDO CL
Chris Bick FBDO
David Bridle FBDO (Hons) AD
Kelly Butler FBDO CL
Ashton Galloway FBDO CL
Anne Gill FBDO
Grace Haine FBDO
James Hall FBDO
Jo Holmes FBDO
Mark Humphrey-Ali FBDO
Judith Searle FBDO
Ruth Shelton FBDO
Adrian Street
Andrew Tremain FBDO
Sarah West FBDO
Email your local lead using the format initialsurname@abdoregions.org.uk