07 July 2023

Important information for GOS contractors in England

FODO members provide the vast majority of GOS in England and, as a leading member of the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC), FODO represents your interests in negotiations with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.  

Following successful discussions with the OFNC, NHS England (NHSE) has issued an update on some key developments to GOS regulations and service provisions. We advise all members in England to read the update in full.

In summary:

• It is anticipated that from 1 January 2024, all practices will submit claims electronically via practice management systems or PCSE Online. A failsafe paper slip (for providers) will be provided for any system outages or where access to the online system is not immediately available. OFNC has been clear with NHSE that PCSE processes must be improved and maintain a high standard for this change to be implemented successfully.
• Claim windows for GOS 1, 5 and 6 forms will reduce from six to three months, in line with other claim windows. It is anticipated that this change will start on 1 January 2024, with a failsafe for circumstances where it may not be possible to submit within the window.
• Removal of the collection of contractor sex on application for a new GOS contract, as this is not needed.
• At present, unless arrangements are made to extend the contract within seven days of a contractor's death, the contract is terminated. From 1 November 2023, this will be extended to 28 days to allow more flexibility at a difficult time.

Also, following discussions with the OFNC, NHS England has highlighted that where a patient has no fixed abode, an alternative address may be used on GOS forms. For example, it could be your practice address, the address of the patient's GP, a friend's/relative's address or a temporary accommodation provider.

Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP) told FODO that the charity already uses day centre addresses in this way. VCHP has welcomed the clarification which it hopes will help other providers reduce barriers homeless people face when trying to access NHS care.

David Brown VCHP General Manager said: "Clarifying this issue will hopefully lead to more practices offering services to this vulnerable group. This announcement by NHSE will help improve access for some, but a significant improvement in access will not be achieved until homelessness is made an eligibility criterion for a free NHS sight test and glasses.

Dan Hodgson FODO Head of Policy and Public Affairs said: "We have been working with VCHP for many years on these issues and have already signalled back to NHS England and DHSC, that this clarification is helpful but does not go far enough. More needs to be done to ensure that homeless people can enjoy their NHS rights to eye care and we will be working on this with VCHP and other sector partners over the next few months."

Read the OFNC update.

Read the NHS England letter.