Delay in GOS fees announcement and early warning of inflation only increases

GOS contractors will have been expecting an announcement about GOS fees and grants in 2025/26 with the start of new financial year only 13 days away.

OFNC has been pressing the NHS England team for some time, however due to staffing issues at NHS England a response had not been received. The recent news that NHS England will be merged into DHSC has undoubtedly further delayed NHS England’s reply.

For background, OFNC submitted evidence about the need for fee increases to the healthcare budget process in 2024 and has again provided additional input into the second phase of the government spending review. In early February, the OFNC wrote to senior officials at NHS England making clear the pressures that the eye care sector was facing, and how there was a growing feeling of anger amongst GOS contractors about the previous imposition of unfair and unacceptable fee increases. In the letter to officials, OFNC made clear the need for a meeting at a senior level to agree a constructive way forward for fee restoration and to deliver the government’s objectives for the NHS in 2025/26.

Despite repeatedly pressing, a letter of response was only received on 19 March. This letter acknowledges that the OFNC has “historically undertaken a comprehensive exercise to present evidence to NHS England and DHSC” but then goes on to say that the NHS is going to set out a new way of handling fees and grants by working within the budget that has been predetermined by NHS England. The letter further set out that there would be a period of ‘engagement’ from the 26 March, and any fee increase would be backdated to 1 April. Early indications are that the NHS plans to only uplift the GOS budget in line with current inflation estimates.

Paul Carroll OFNC chair stated: “NHS England has finally acknowledged that the OFNC has always submitted comprehensive evidence as part of annual fee negotiations, which confirms it is fully aware that contractors are not funded fairly to deliver a GOS sight test. The NHS in England is proposing it will now more openly turn its back on settlements based on evidence and instead force primary eye care providers to offer NHS eye care at well below costs. We will be making clear that we cannot help NHS England impose unfair cuts on the profession, contractors deserve fair remuneration for the clinical care they deliver.”

OFNC reminds contractors that NHS optical vouchers are determined via a separate process.