Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations further amend the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1989, which provide for payments to be made by means of a voucher system in respect of costs incurred by certain categories of person in connection with the supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances.
Regulation 2 amends the definition of “NHS sight test fee” in regulation 1(2) of the 1989 Regulations. This fee is set at two levels depending on whether the sight test was carried out at the patient’s home or not, and the appropriate figure is used to calculate—
the value of assistance towards the cost of a private sight test; and
the value of vouchers towards the cost of a private sight test or towards the supply of glasses or contact lenses.
These two levels of NHS sight test fee are raised by regulation 2 as follows—
the figure used where the sight test was carried out at the patient’s home is raised from £36.65 to £37.83 [3.22%]; and
the figure used in all other cases is increased from £13.41 to £13.71 [2.25%].