Eye care

PCC can help and support commissioners navigate their way through commissioning and contracting matters. Support is provided via our national events programme, locally delivered workshops, and specialist helpdesk advice service which includes access to ask the expert sessions.

Local workshops and one to one support

The eye health services team are able to locally deliver workshops to your organisation.
Our team can also provide one to one support and mentoring for new team members.
If you and your colleagues have specific training needs and would like to explore this further, please contact either your local adviser or drop us an email at enquiries@pcc-cic.org.uk.

Training

Our standard training sessions can be tailored to reflect individual teams learning needs. They are a great opportunity for individual and teams to reflect on current decisions and ask questions in a safe environment.

Our sessions focus on:

  • the regulatory and contractual framework relating to GOS contracts
  • remuneration of and contract management of the current GOS contract for primary care services in accordance with NHS England’s Policy book for Eye Health
  • local or common scenarios that commissioners are likely to face.
  • complex and layered scenarios, understanding the contractual issues, the options available and formulating contract notices and practicing difficult conversations
  • using regulations, general ophthalmic services (GOS) contract and policy book for primary GOS services to understand contractual actions whilst looking at the impact on the wider issues of the provision of GOS services.

These sessions can be delivered either virtually or face to face and can be tailored to your needs upon request Contact enquiries@pcc-cic.org.uk to find out more.

PCC eye health training and development

PCC’s eye health team are launching their next round of training courses for commissioners. With the success of delivering our training virtually over the last couple of years this will continue for our national event programme and local delivery requests.

Face to face training is available for local workshops upon request, enquiries@pcc-cic.org.uk.

The training courses outlined below are available through our national events calendar but can also be delivered as local workshops to individual organisations for their respective teams. If interested in a local workshop, please enquiries@pcc-cic.org.uk.

Primary care – an introduction
The training is useful to those new in their role and those looking for a refresh.
The workshop focuses on the commissioning of NHS eye care services, the general ophthalmic services (GOS) contract and who can hold contracts, services provided and financial arrangements.

Primary care eye care contracts – contract applications and contract management
This training is useful to those new in their role and those looking for a refresh.
The workshop focuses on an introduction to general ophthalmic services (GOS) contracts, the contract application process, quality assurance and managing contract variations.

Primary care eye care contracts – financial arrangements
This training is useful to those new in their role and those looking for a refresh.
The workshop focusses general ophthalmic service (GOS), payment arrangements for NHS sight tests and NHS vouchers with an introduction to post payment verification (PPV).

Primary care eye care contracts – contract notices
This training is useful to those new in their role and those looking for a refresh.
The workshop focusses on contract notices; breach remedial, termination and contract sanction notices.

Details and dates for these courses can be found on our events page.

Focussed support

PCC can deliver focussed support on a one-on-one basis or to small groups of individuals. These support sessions are developed and delivered around individual needs and delivered at the right pace to support learning, increase knowledge and understanding.

This support is particularly beneficial where individual(s) have picked up GOS contracting or need a refresh, where individuals wish to focus on specific areas/topics, or have a specific issue that needs resolution, enabling them to focus on these and work them through in a safe environment.

Essential resources for eye health commissioners and providers

As part of our support to commissioners and providers we are placing links to some essential resources below which PCC can help you navigate.

NHS England policy book

To support local offices in the commissioning of local general ophthalmic services (GOS) contracts, NHS England and NHS Improvement has published an Eye health policy book and Eye health policy book – appendices. The policies are underpinned by five key principles:

  1. To support the continuous improvement of primary care
  2. To maintain the right balance between operating in a consistent fashion, maintaining appropriate local flexibility
  3. Clear alignment with NHS England commissioning policy and NHS England business plan.
  4. Compliance with legislation
  5. To support a reasonable, proportionate and consistent approach across the four primary care contractor groups.

The policies can be accessed at https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/policy-book-for-eye-health/

Eye health contract documentation – mandatory services

Model template documentation including the latest national variation documents is provided by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the latest versions of the documents can be found here:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/model-contracts-and-contract-variations-general-ophthalmic-services/

Eye health data

NHS Digital centre provides statistics on ophthalmic activity and workforce data. General ophthalmic data can be accessed at:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-ophthalmic-services-activity-statistics
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-ophthalmic-services-workforce-statistics

April 2023 – NHS sight tests fees / NHS voucher values / Payments for continuing education and training and pre-registration grant

Department of Health & Social Care published a letter on 23 March 2023 covering;

  1. the NHS sight test fee and NHS domiciliary fees from 1 April 2023
  2. NHS optical voucher values from 1 April 2023
  3. the hospital eye service (HES) charges from 1 April 2023
  4. continuing education and training payment for 2023, payable in 2023
  5. grant payable to supervisors of pre-registration trainees from 1 April 2023

The full details of the letter can be viewed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-general-ophthalmic-service-fees-and-optical-voucher-values-from-april-2023/letter-setting-out-general-ophthalmic-services-fees-from-1-april-2023.

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