Letter setting out general ophthalmic services fees from April 2022
Published 31 March 2022
漏 Crown copyright 2022
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General ophthalmic services: NHS sight test fee, NHS optical voucher values, payments for continuing education and training, pre-registration supervisors grant and the hospital maximum charge.
Summary
I am writing to notify you of:
-
the NHS sight test fee and NHS domiciliary fees from 1 April 2022
-
optical voucher values from 1 April 2022
-
the hospital eye service (HES) charges from 1 April 2022
-
continuing education and training payment for 2021, payable in 2022
-
grant payable to supervisors of pre-registration trainees from 1 April 2022
Please could you bring this information to the attention of all staff dealing with general ophthalmic services (GOS), the hospital eye service, optometrists and ophthalmic medical practitioners.
1. NHS sight test fee/NHS domiciliary fee
Following consultation with representatives of the professions, the Secretary of State has determined that the NHS sight test fee should be increased to 拢22.14.
For superannuation purposes please note that for ophthalmic medical practitioners the practice expense component of the sight test fee will be 拢5.62 from April 2021.
The fees payable to GOS contractors for NHS domiciliary visits will be 拢39.04 for the first and second patients seen at one visit and 拢9.77 for the third and subsequent patients.
Revised general ophthalmic services contracts (payments) directions are attached which apply from 1 April 2022.
2. NHS Optical voucher values
Please pay suppliers the increased voucher values in respect of all vouchers presented by patients on or after 1 April 2022.
Please note that the statutory instrument (SI) increasing the value of vouchers and supplements has been laid and is available under SI number 221 (2022) for those of you who wish to hold a copy. A copy is available here: .
Details of the new optical voucher values and supplements are in Annex A.
3. Hospital eye service maximum charge
From 1 April 2022 the hospital eye service maximum charges will be:
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拢71.40 for single vision lenses
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拢116.10 in any other case
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拢58.15 per contact lens
The 鈥楴HS (charges for optical appliances) directions 2022鈥� are attached.
4. Payments for continuing education and training
The payment for 2021, in respect of continuing education and training, undertaken by optometrists and ophthalmic medical practitioners, without another medical appointment (that is, who do no other remunerative work but the testing of sight), will increase to 拢596.
Details of how to make a claim during the claim window, which will run from 1 July to 1 November 2022, will follow.
5. Pre-registration training for optometrists
From 1 April 2022 the allowance paid to supervisors of pre-registration trainees will increase to 拢3,837. Claims from trainers taking on pre-registration trainees on or after 1 April 2022 should be paid at this new rate.
Yours faithfully,
Sharon Egan
Head of Dentistry and Eye Care Services
Annex A
Optical voucher values from 1 April 2022
| Type of optical appliance | Old value | New value |
|---|---|---|
| A. Glasses with single vision lenses of a spherical power of not more than 6 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 2 dioptres. | 拢39.10 | 拢39.90 |
| B. Glasses with single vision lenses: (a) of a spherical power of more than 6 dioptres but less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres; (b) of a spherical power of less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of more than 2 dioptres but not more than 6 dioptres | 拢59.30 | 拢60.50 |
| C. Glasses with single vision lenses of a spherical power of 10 or more dioptres but not more than 14 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres. | 拢86.90 | 拢88.60 |
| D. Glasses with single vision lenses: (a) of a spherical power of more than 14 dioptres with any cylindrical power; (b) of a cylindrical power of more than 6 dioptres with any spherical power | 拢196.00 | 拢199.90 |
| E. Glasses with bifocal lenses of a spherical power of not more than 6 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 2 dioptres | 拢67.50 | 拢68.80 |
| F. Glasses with bifocal lenses: (a) of a spherical power of more than 6 dioptres but less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres; (b) of a spherical power of less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of more than 2 dioptres but not more than 6 dioptres | 拢85.60 | 拢87.30 |
| G. Glasses with bifocal lenses of a spherical power of 10 or more dioptres but not more than 14 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres | 拢111.20 | 拢113.40 |
| H. Glasses with prism-controlled bifocal lenses of any power or with bifocal lenses: (a) of a spherical power of more than 14 dioptres with any cylindrical power; (b) with a cylindrical power of more than 6 dioptres with any spherical power | 拢215.50 | 拢219.80 |
| I. (HES) glasses not falling within any of paragraphs A to H for which a prescription is given in consequence of a testing of sight by an NHS Trust | 拢200.80 | 拢204.80 |
| J. Contact lenses for which a prescription is given in consequences of a sight test by an NHS trust or NHS foundation trust | 拢57.00 | 拢58.15 |
Supplement and complex lens voucher values
| Type | Old value | New value |
|---|---|---|
| Prism (per lens) - single vision | 拢12.60 | 拢12.85 |
| Prism (per lens) - bifocal | 拢15.40 | 拢15.70 |
| Complex lens voucher - single vision | 拢14.60 | 拢14.90 |
| Complex lens voucher - bifocal | 拢37.40 | 拢38.15 |
| Tints/photochromic lens supplement (per lens) - single vision | 拢4.40 | 拢4.50 |
| Tints/photochromic lens supplement (per lens) - bifocal | 拢4.90 | 拢5.00 |
| Small glasses supplement | 拢64.20 | 拢65.50 |
| Supplement for special facial characteristics | 拢64.20 | 拢65.50 |
New repair and replacement values from 1 April 2022
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One lens | 拢12.40 | 拢22.70 | 拢36.75 | 拢92.40 | 拢26.85 | 拢36.10 | 拢 49.15 | 拢102.35 | 拢94.85 |
| Two lenses | 拢24.80 | 拢45.40 | 拢73.50 | 拢184.80 | 拢53.70 | 拢72.20 | 拢98.30 | 拢204.70 | 拢189.70 |
| Front of frame | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 | 拢12.70 |
| Side of frame | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 | 拢7.50 |
| Whole frame | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 | 拢15.10 |
Note
- Where the small glasses supplement or special facial characteristics supplement applies, the amount payable for repair of the:
- front of the frame is 拢58.15
- side of the frame is 拢31.40
- whole of the frame is 拢65.50
- Where more than one repair is made to an optical appliance, the total paid must not exceed the aggregate of the amounts for replacing 2 lenses in the above schedule, and repairs to the part of the frame must not exceed 拢15.10.
Replacement 鈥� contact lenses
If only one of a pair of contact lenses is replaced the voucher value is 拢58.15. These provisions for contact lenses only apply to clinically necessary contact lenses prescribed by the HES or NHS Trust.