Letters: January 5

Realistic fees

A lot of recent letters comment about the lack of remuneration for optometrists within GOS. We are expected to provide a first-class service for no remuneration and to put our hands in our pockets to make up the shortfall in overheads.

Compare that to GPs who get five QOF points (worth £124-60 each plus employers’ pension contribution) if they can show a percentage of their diabetics have had retinopathy screening. I work it out that they get paid nearly as much as a GOS fee as a salary on top of all their overheads every time they tick a box to say someone else has done the work for that patient.

If a GP asks you to do the work, perhaps a letter explaining he gets paid more than you to do the work and he should get his finger out and do it himself or pay you a realistic fee for doing it. £40+ seems fair.