Minister asked about practices closing in House

Derek Thomas MP asked the government about the “adequacy” of the GOS sight test fee in England and how many opticians stopped providing GOS in the last 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom responded that the GOS fee is “considered annually.” She added that evidence from the OFNC is taken “into account” alongside “affordability for the NHS” and information about “patient access to sight testing services, which continue to be widely available”.

As for how many opticians stopped providing GOS, she said: “254 contracts for providing NHS sight-testing services were terminated between February 2023 and January 2024”, and “179 new contracts were awarded”.