Many contractors have been asking for news about fees and grants for 2024/25 given the significant cost pressures that primary eye care is facing.
As the new financial year approaches, the reason there has not yet been any announcement is that OFNC is unable to accept the very low offer NHS England and the 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 with officials in the face of a reasonable bid, we have written to Minister Andrea Leadsom asking for an urgent meeting. Earlier this year the Minister paid tribute to 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.”
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.
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.
ENDS
Note for Editors
The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) is the national negotiating body for eye care in England with the Westminster Parliament, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. It comprises the leaders of the UK representative bodies: ABDO, AOP, FODO and BMA (for OMPs) and works in partnerships with the College of Optometrists and the General Optical Council.
