05 March 2024
The Optical Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) has released a statement regarding the annual uplift of sight test fees and grants for the 2024–2025 financial year in response to increased enquiries from contractors.
The OFNC said in the statement that was issued this afternoon (5 March): “We cannot in good faith agree to accept a proposal which we believe would be detrimental to the sector and the Government’s own plan to use primary eye care to take pressure off GPs and hospitals and reduce avoidable blindness for patients, particularly those on long hospital waiting lists.”
Speaking about the annual negotiation and new fee setting process, which sees changes implemented from 1 April, the committee explained that it is “unable to accept the very low offer NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have made which is far below that proposed in our submission. The offer would be another real terms cut and is lower than that for the NHS as a whole.”
Having made “little headway” through the official negotiation process, the OFNC has now written to request an urgent meeting with Minister Andrea Leadsom, who earlier this year referenced the “essential role played by NHS sight testing in the prevention of avoidable sight loss” and “how an expanded role for the primary eye care workforce could help alleviate ophthalmology pressures.”
The OFNC added in its statement: “We are sorry not to be able to be more reassuring at this time when so many practices are striving to meet patient needs on NHS fees that do not cover costs while being expected to protect the nation’s vision and eye health.”
Comments (4)
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hilaryandmichael06 March 2024
Think we should be very careful that tendering for the GOS services does not rear its ugly head again because in the event that it does we'll be paid exactly zilch for our hard work as state funded optometrists and a certain corporate business takes the whole lot from us as happened with the DVLA field testing debacle
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John Gurney06 March 2024
It shouldn't matter TBH,GOS is not for providing a clinical examination( if you do for £20 then all power to you) , its purely to help one act as a sales person to sell product - glasses or CL.
I think actually now would be a great time to scrap it altogether - except for maybe children and the very needy in our population , they could also save money and effort scrapping the OFNC for all they have achieved since their formation.
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Anonymous05 March 2024
Seriously what did you expect from a government , whose policy for the NHS is to deliberately destroy it by consistently underfunding. A government set on farming NHS services out to private company friends and meanwhile blaming NHS staff, Covid,Ukraine, Gaza and refugees on boats on the health service and on the country's woes.
Somebody needs to open their eyes.
.........please sir can I have some more ?????
Have some backbone
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SJH05 March 2024
What increase has been offered?
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