Population Health Improvement Directorate Primary Care Division Dear Colleague HOSPITAL EYE SERVICE Increase in Optical Voucher Values from 1 April 2015 Summary 1. This letter advises NHS Boards of increases in the NHS optical voucher values and allowances for repairs and replacements with effect from 1 April 2015. Action 2. The new voucher values are shown in Annexes A and B to this letter. Practitioner Services will pay the revised values for vouchers presented to suppliers by patients on or after 1 April 2015. 3. Copies of the NHS (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2014, which bring the revised voucher values into effect, can be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2015/86/contents/made 17 March 2015 Addresses For action Chief Executives, NHS Boards Director, Practitioner Services For information Chief Executive, NHS National Services Scotland Enquiries to: Liam Kearney Primary Care Division 1st Floor East Rear St Andrew s House EDINBURGH EH1 3DG Tel: 0131-244 2895 NHSgeneralophthalmicservicesma ilbox@scotland.gsi.gov.uk St Andrew s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot
4. NHS Boards are asked to urgently bring this letter to the attention of all staff concerned with the hospital eye service. Yours sincerely DR ANDREW SCOTT Director Population Health Improvement Directorate St Andrew s House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG www.gov.scot
Directions under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, Section 2(5) and Schedule 11, paragraph 2(1) and regulation 2(1) of the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 1998. The Scottish ministers in exercise of the powers conferred upon them by section 2(5) of and paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 11 to the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 1 and regulation 2(1) of the National health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 1998 2 and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby give to NHS Boards the following Directions: 1. These Directions shall come into force on 1 April 2015 and shall have effect in respect of glasses or contact lenses supplied where the testing of sight leading to the supply of the glasses or lenses, or the first such testing, takes place on or after 1 April 2015. 2. In these Directions the Act means the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 charges for glasses and charges for contact lenses means a charge authorised by section 70(1) of the Act in respect of the supply of glasses or, as the case may be, contact lenses under the Act. 3. Subject to paragraphs 4 and 5 below, the charge for glasses shall be the aggregate of the following: (a) An amount which represents the cost to the NHS board or other person on its behalf, of the purchase of thee glasses or their components; and (b) An amount which represents the cost to the NHS Board or other person on its behalf, of the dispensing of the lenses. 4. Where the aggregate of: (a) The element of the amount mentioned in paragraph 3(a) above which represents the cost of the lenses; and (b) The amount mentioned in paragraph 3(b) above, Exceeds, in the case of glasses each lens which is a single vision lens, 69.30 and, in any other case, 112.70, the charge for glasses shall be the aggregate of that 69.30 or, as the case may be 112.70 and, except in a case to which paragraph 5 below applies, the element of the amount mentioned in paragraph 3(a) above which represents the cost of the frames. 1 1978 (c.29). Section 2(5) was amended by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1999 (c.19), Schedule 9, paragraph 19(1); paragraph 2(1) was substituted by the Health and Medicines Act 1988 (c. 49), Schedule 2, paragraph 15(1). The functions of the Secretary of State were transferred to the Scottish Ministers by virtue of Section 53 of the Scotland Act 1998 (c.46) 2 S.I. 1998/642 was amended by S.I 1999/748 and S.S.I. 1999/64, 2000/45 and 395, 2001/88, 2002/17, 86 and 224, 2003/218 and 431, 2004/97 and 168, 2005/119, 2006/138, 2007/192, 2008/106 and 289, 2009/86 and 288, 2012/73, 2013/96, 2014/61 and 2015/86
5. Where any patients requires, on clinical grounds, a frame the cost of which is more than that of the cheapest frame in the range supplied by the NHS Board or other person on its behalf, the element of the amount mentioned in paragraph 3(a) above which represents the cost of the frames shall not exceed the cost of the cheapest frame. 6. The charge authorised by section 70(1) of the Act in respect of the supply of contact lenses under the Act shall be 56.40 for each contact lens supplied. 7. Except in so far as it applies to glasses and contact lenses supplied where the testing of sight leading to the supply of the glasses or contact lenses, or the first such testing, has taken place prior to 1 April 2015 the Direction made under paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 11 to the Act and regulation 2(1) of the National health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 1998, which came into operation on 1 April 2014 is revoked. Dr Andrew Scott A member of the staff of the Scottish Government The Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate St Andrew s House Edinburgh March 2015
Directions under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, Schedule 7A, paragraph 6(1) The Scottish Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred upon them by paragraph 6(1) of Schedule 7A to the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 3 and all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby direct the NHS board to comply with the Directions given by them under section 2(5) of and paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 11 to the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 and regulation 2(1) of the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 1998 4 dated 2 March 2015 and coming into force on 1 April 2015. Dr Andrew Scott A member of the staff of the Scottish Government The Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate St Andrew s House Edinburgh March 2015 3 1978 (c. 29). Schedule 7A was inserted by section 32 and Schedule 6 to the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 (c. 19) and amended by the Health Act 1999 (c. 8), section 49. The functions of the Secretary of State were transferred to the Scottish Ministers by virtue of Section 53 of the Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46). 4 S.I. 1998/642 amended by S.I. 1999/748 and S.S.I. 1999/64, 2000/45 and 395, 2001/17, 86 and 224, 2003/218 and 431, 2004/97 and 168, 2005/119 and 2006/138, 2007/192, 2008/106 and 289, 2009/86 and 288, 2012/73, 2013/96, 2014/61 and 2015/86.
ANNEX A VOUCHER LETTER CODES AND FACE VALUES SUPPLY AND REPLACEMENT Column 1 Type of optical appliance 1. Glasses with single vision lenses of a spherical power of not more than 6 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 2 dioptres. 2. Glasses with single vision lenses - Column 2 Letter code A 38.70 B 58.70 Column 3 Face value of voucher (a) of a spherical power of more than 6 dioptres but less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres; (b) of a spherical power of less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of more than 2 dioptres but not more than 6 dioptres. 3. Glasses with single vision lenses of a spherical power of 10 or more dioptres but not more than 14 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres. 4. Glasses with single vision lenses - C 86.00 D 194.10 (a) of a spherical power of more than 14 dioptres with any cylindrical power; (b) of a cylindrical power of more than 6 dioptres with any spherical power. 5. Glasses with bifocal lenses of a spherical power of not more than 6 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 2 dioptres. 6. Glasses with bifocal lenses - E 66.80 F 84.80 (a) of a spherical power of more than 6 dioptres but less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres; (b) of a spherical power of less than 10 dioptres with a cylindrical power of more than 2 dioptres but not more than 6 dioptres.
7. Glasses with bifocal lenses of a spherical power of 10 or more dioptres but not more than 14 dioptres with a cylindrical power of not more than 6 dioptres. 8. Glasses with prism-controlled bifocal lenses of any power or with bifocal lenses - G 110.10 H 213.40 (a) of a spherical power of more than 14 dioptres with any cylindrical power; (b) with a cylindrical power of more than 6 dioptres with any spherical power. 9. Glasses not falling within any of paragraphs 1 to 8 for which a prescription is given in consequence of a testing of sight by an NHS Board. I 198.80 10. Contact lenses for which a prescription is given in consequence of a testing of sight by an NHS Board. J 56.40 per lens Supplements Complex lens: Single vision Bifocal Tints/photochromic per lens: Single vision Bifocal Prism per lens: Single vision Bifocal Old value 14.40 36.60 4.20 4.70 12.40 15.00 New value 14.50 37.00 4.30 4.80 12.50 15.20 Small glasses: 63.00 63.60 Special facial characteristics (HES or NHS Board): 63.00 63.60
ANNEX B VOUCHER VALUES - REPAIR Column 1 Column 2 Nature of Repair to Letter Codes Values Appliance A B C D E F G H f I Repair or replacement of one lens 12.05 22.05 35.70 89.75 26.10 35.10 47.75 99.40 92.10 Repair or 24.10 44.10 71.40 179.50 52.20 70.20 95.50 198.80 184.20 replacement of two lenses Repair or replacement of: The front of a frame a side of a frame the whole of the frame Note 1. Where the small glasses supplement applies, the amount payable for repair of: the front of the frame is 56.40 the side of the frame is 30.50 the whole of the frame is 63.60 2. Where more than one repair is made to an optical appliance, the total paid must not exceed the aggregate of the amount for replacing two lenses in the above schedule, and repairs to the part of the frame must not exceed. Replacement Contact Lenses If only one of a pair of contact lenses is replaced the voucher value is 56.40. These provisions for contact lenses only apply to clinically necessary contact lenses prescribed by the Hospital Eye Service or NHS Board.