Chris Bennett: Independents must not lose out as government takes its lead from the corporates

Big health retail looks ever more relevant to government as changes to primary care take place, so has the independent sector become invisible to government?

Summer is a quiet time but ironically marks some of the biggest announcements facing optics. The Department of Health’s imposition of a one per cent increase in fees for General Ophthalmic Services may well not have come as a shock given the current climate. Off the record some have suggested optics got a good deal, it was an increase after all. The detail to the process (see Page 8) shows the emphasis placed by the government side on cost savings. The purse strings were held equally tight on voucher values and CET grants and supervisor fees. The government side pointed out how cheap eye exams and cheap spectacles are now common on the high street.