LOC Support Unit
The LOC Support Unit was established in 2007 through the joint efforts of the Association of Optometrists, the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians, with the support of the College of Optometrists. It is financed by the LOCs and run entirely on their behalf. Its main remit is to support LOCs in developing optometric services within the community, through the provision of enhanced services. Please click here to access the LOC Support Unit's website.
NHS Primary Care Commissioning
NHS Primary Care Commissioning (NHS PCC) has been providing valuable commissioning, contracting and communications support for SHAs, PCTs and the Department of Health since 2005. NHS PCC operates on a subscription model and all PCTs currently subscribe to its services. Some of the information and guidance from NHS PCC is only available to subscribing PCTs in restricted access areas. To access the website: http://www.pcc.nhs.uk/eyecare
NHS PCC provides PCTs with local insight into national policy and supports implementation and best practice in commissioning and contracting across all areas of primary and community care. It also details details a selection of enhanced services in operation throughout the country. Individual LOCs who have successfully negotiated enhanced services can access this website and enter the details of these services using the template provided. The more information placed on the PCC website - which is designed to provided information to healthcare commissioners - the more primary care organisations will be aware of the skills and expertise which optometrists can offer. We would urge all LOCs to make use of this facility. This website is regularly visited by primary care organisations (PCOs) e.g. PCTs and evidence of your schemes may help to encourage those PCOs who have not engaged with local optometry, to do so.
The Primary Care Contracting website hosts the latest commissioning guidance from the Department of Health to PCTs and healthcare commissioners with regard to eye care services. This advice is covered on our website and the website of the LOC Support unit http://www.loc-net.org.uk/locsu/119633285632663.html
Primary Care Commissioning (PCC) – Model Enhanced Services Contracts
In response to requests from subscriber PCTs, PCC published a model eye care enhanced services contract in February 2010. The contract comes in three variants for
Unlike the model mandatory and additional services (GOS) contracts published in 2008, use of the model enhanced services contract is entirely voluntary on the part of the PCT but Primary Care Contracting points out that using the model contracts may well save PCTs the cost of developing local contracts on an individual basis. PCTs are free to use the contract as it stands or to modify it in any way that the PCT sees fit. PCTs are also free either to keep their existing contracts for enhanced services in their current format or to migrate them to the new model version.
PCC points out that some of the numbering of the clauses may seem at first sight to be a little bit eccentric but they have tried as far as possible to keep the clause numbering consistent across all three variants of the enhanced services contract and also consistent with the numbering of clauses, with similar effect, in the model mandatory and additional services contracts.
PCTs will need to add to the model contract their own schedule 3 which should be locally negotiated and specific to the service type which is being commissioned. PCC has produced a sample schedule 3 from NHS Somerset, based on their ACES (Acute Community Eyecare Service) scheme. NHS Somerset has also used the optical bodies’ document Quality in Optometry and the Department of Health’s document Standards for Better Health , for reference.
The model contracts are available to PCTs in the restricted area of the PCC website http://www.pcc.nhs.uk/enhanced-services-contract but If LOCs want copies, they can contact the Head of LOCSU, Georgina Gordon, directly:
Georgina Gordon, Head of LOC Support Unit
Tel: 020 7202 8151
Email: georginagordon@locsu.co.uk
http://www.loc-net.org.uk/locsu/12427301994173.html
Primary Eye Care in England - A Vision for the Future
This booklet, outlining a clear way forward for NHS primary care services in England, was jointly produced by the Association of Optometrists, the Association of British Dispensing Opticians, the College of Optometrists and the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians in October 2005. It argues, amongst other things, for a higher profile for eye health, regular eye examinations and good eye care as part of the public health agenda. It also sets out the opportunities for optical practices to provide a wider range of primary eye care services int he community.
Developing a New Partnership Contract for Community Eye Care in England
This document was produced by Nick Bosanquet, Professor of Health Policy at Imperial College London, in February 2006. It sets out the options for partnership between optometrists/dispensing opticians and the NHS and can be viewed as a pdf at the bottom of this page.
Primary Eye Care in the Community - Original 2001
This booklet was produced by the AOP in December 2001. Whilst some aspects, including terminology and the descriptions of primary care organisations etc are out of date, it is still a useful summary of the skills that optometrists can bring to the community. It was written with healthcare commissioners in mind and can be accessed in pdf format at the end of this page.
Primary Eye Care in the Community - Updated 2008
The booklet, Primary Eye Care in the Community, was updated by the AOP on behalf of ABDO, AOP, FODO and the LOC Support Unit, as a general statement of what optometrists can do to develop community eye care. Many LOCs have found this a good way of introducing healthcare commissioners and PCTs to the optometric services that can be delivered at primary care level. It is available in pdf format at the end of this page.
For the latest pathways and informaton dealing with enhanced services, please visit the LOC Support Unit website:
http://www.loc-net.org.uk/locsu/index.html
Transparency and Limited Participation within Enhanced Services
The Association of Optometrists, the College of Optometrists and the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians has issued joint advice for LOCs/ROCs/AOCs and primary care organisations on how enhanced services contracts can be made more transparent, thus facilitating agreements which have the full support of the local profession. The guidance is intended to help participants to avoid any misleading impressions of claimed superiority, should schemes be limited to specific practices. The advice can be found in pdf format at the end of this page.
