News that NHS England has rejected the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee’s (OFNC) support package proposal for practices struggling during the pandemic and notification that no further financial support would be made available during the coronavirus crisis, will be the hardest kick in the teeth in a long run of let-downs during lockdown.
The OFNC said NHS England’s decision was based on GOS claims data that showed stability in the first two months of 2021 and that additional support offered in the autumn was only taken up by some 200 practices.
A handy graph showing GOS activity was provided by the OFNC. Unsurprisingly, GOS claims in April, May and June last year were a mere fraction of what they were prior to the pandemic. By the autumn (September 2020), when NHS England said just 200 practices claimed financial hardship, GOS claims were the highest they had been in more than two years. It’s no wonder only 200 practices claimed – most were too busy meeting lockdown backlogs.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Optician Online. Register now to access up to 10 news and opinion articles a month.
Register
Already have an account? Sign in here