The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) has rejected the latest GOS pay offer from NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
In a statement issued today, the OFNC said: “Many contractors have been asking for news about fees and grants for 2024/25 given the significant cost pressures that primary eyecare is facing.
“As the new financial year approaches, the reason there has not yet been any announcement is that OFNC is unable to accept the very low offer NHS England and the DHSC have made, which is far below that proposed in our submission. The offer would be another real-terms cut and is lower than that for the NHS as a whole.
“Having made little headway with officials in the face of a reasonable bid, we have written to minister Andrea Leadsom asking for an urgent meeting.
“We cannot in good faith agree to accept a proposal, which we believe would be detrimental to the sector and the government’s own plan to use primary eyecare to take pressure off GPs and hospitals and reduce avoidable blindness for patients, particularly those on long hospital waiting lists.
“We are sorry not to be able to be more reassuring at this time when so many practices are striving to meet patient needs on NHS fees that do not cover costs – while being expected to protect the nation’s vision and eye health.”