Lancashire Teaching Hospitals have brought to our attention that patients are reporting they have been refused GOS sight tests in the community as they are under the care of the hospital for conditions like glaucoma and diabetes.
The LOC would like to clarify this concern of GOS eligibility to avoid any further misunderstanding and discriminatory withholding of access to healthcare for patients with longstanding eye conditions.
Ruth Cuthbert – Local Optometric Advisor, NHSE advises:
“In general, HES patients are entitled to GOS according to the normal criteria/eligibility. The time frame between GOS tests is 2 years unless there is a valid reason for it to be sooner.
If the hospital requires a sight test as a part of the management of their eye condition that cannot be performed in-house, the NHS Trust hospital can arrange for a sight test to be carried out by a GOS provider. Such a sight test will be a GOS sight test if the patient is eligible for a GOS sight test outside hospital.
If the patient is not eligible, they should be issued with a HES1 form by the hospital, which the sight test provider should submit directly to the hospital for payment of the optometrist’s fees.”
Patients who are eligible for a GOS sight test and present to a practice with vision concerns should be offered an appointment using the appropriate early retest code regardless of whether they are under the Hospital Eye Service.
