GOS Contract

Since 1 August 2008 the provision of General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) in England has been subject to contracts between primary care trusts (PCTs) and those providers , whether professionally qualified or lay, who have met certain criteria regarding premises, equipment, good character and so on. GOS sight tests are undertaken by optometrists and OMPs, who are now described and listed as performers by PCTs. Contracts can be for ‘mandatory services’ i.e. testing sight in a practice or for ‘additional services’ i.e. domiciliary testing. You can find model contracts for both mandatory and additional services below.

NHS Primary Care Commissioning (PCC) - Model Application Forms for GOS

NHS Primary Care Commissioning (PCC) has revised the Section B declarations which form part of the model application forms for a new GOS contract. The revisions take account of changes introduced by the National Health Service (Miscellaneous Amendments Relating to Ophthalmic Services) Regulations which came into force on 1 April 2010 but they also make other relevant additions and amendments. PCTs are being advised to introduce the new forms as soon as possible.

The revised model forms have been produced in four variants for:

• Individual or partnership application for a mandatory services contract
• Individual or partnership application for an additional services contract
• Body corporate application for a mandatory services contract
• Body corporate application for an additional services contract

All the revised variants can be found by clicking http://www.pcc.nhs.uk/325

These model application forms and documentation may be used by PCTs. Follow the bulleted list from left to right to locate the appropriate document for each application.

GOS Contract Variations - Statutory Instrument 2010 No. 634

There are a number of minor, technical variations to the GOS contract which have been brought in via a recent Statutory Instrument S.I. 2010 No. 634 (click here to access the Statutory Instruments). These changes bring the GOS Regulations into line with other primary healthcare legislation as regards patient preference of performer so there is nothing for contractors to be concerned about. The Department of Health have issued the contract variation notices to PCTs for them to implement. Although the changes are minor, any that affect contract compliance will be picked up in Quality in Optometry when NHS Primary Care Commissioning makes the necessary, corresponding amendments to the compliance visit pro-forma. Please see the letter from the Department of Health covering these matters as a pdf at the bottom of this page and click here for full details of the contract variations and copies of the amended contracts - both mandatory and additional.

The main item of interest relates to the patient’s right to express a preference of practitioner. The new clause says:

Patient preference of performer

25A. The Contractor must-

25A.1. where it has agreed to provide services to a patient, notify the patient (or, in the case of a child or incapable adult, the person who made the application on their behalf) of the patient’s right to express a preference to receive services from a particular performer where more than one performer is available;

25A.2. try to comply with any reasonable preference expressed by the patient under 25.A.1. but need not do so if the preferred performer has reasonable grounds for refusing to provide services to the patient.

The Optical Confederation and the Department of Health have agreed that:

Practices are required to notify patients of their right to express a preference. Reasonable ways to fulfil this requirement would include notification by way of a notice displayed in the practice; a practice leaflet; an appointment letter; the receptionist when the patient books an appointment if a choice is available, or some other means depending on how the practice is organised.

Of course, having more than one performer on the premises does not necessarily mean that more than one performer is available to perform services at a particular time. The availability of practitioners is a matter for the practice and will be determined by, for example, appointments that have been booked (particular practitioners may have appointments booked in advance and therefore not be available, even if on the premises) or involvement with other work, such as supervising a pre-registration trainee or undertaking university clinics. See the letter from the Department of Health at the bottom of the page, explaining the changes covered by the S.I. 2010 No. 634.