The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) is seeking to capture the views and concerns of General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) contractors so that it can put forward the strongest possible case for an increase in the GOS sight test fee.
In 2022 OFNC conducted a survey on the time and costs associated with providing a GOS sight test. This information was crucial in providing a true picture of the UK optical sector.
To continue this engagement and build upon this data, we are now conducting a new survey to gather evidence on how the last two years have impacted costs. This will help to identify how wider pressures are affecting your practice and if the real terms cut in GOS funding have resulted in changes to the way that you run or invest in your business.
The information that we gather will have a direct impact on our next submission to NHS England where we will set out why the GOS fee should increase. Responses will be treated in strict confidence and only aggregated data will be disclosed to NHS England.
OFNC encourage all business owners to take this opportunity to have their say on what the UK optical sector looks like in 2024. If you can spare 10 mins to complete this survey it will provide us with the latest information to underpin our discussions with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care. We also encourage you to share this survey with colleagues who run practices to ensure we obtain the widest range of opinion and business types.
The survey will be open until 5pm on Monday 30 September.