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I am a contact lens user, and as such I have regular eye checks that normally involve a change in prescription or additional items and further to that normally a new direct debit mandate to sign at the end of my visit. Little attention is paid to the breakdown of the receipt if I am honest.
So I was quite surprised when a friend mentioned that his routine eye test was just over twenty pounds. Had I been out of the loop that long?
That said, the Department of Health have confirmed that the National Health Trust eye test fees will be frozen for 2012. This means a second consecutive year without the prices rising for patients. Since 2010 they have remained at £20.70.
In a continuing recession this is welcome news for new clients however for the professionals providing the service, there is a feeling that optometrists are having to shoulder a larger burden.
Reports show that while the NHS Test fee remains static, the value of vouchers, annual CET grants and supervisors’ payments have all risen by 2.5% so far this year.
Running parallel with the current public sector pay freezing, the government has ordered no increase in GOS sight test fees leaving professionals extremely disappointed.Operating practices will issue surveys over the remainder of this financial year to prepare data to be used during negotiations for next years fee.