NHS Confirms GOS Will Remain a National Service When the Health and Care Bill Becomes Law

17 December 2021

General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) in England will remain a national demand-led service under a nationally agreed GOS contract and nationally negotiated fees and grants, with no local variation.

This was confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and
NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE-I) on Friday 10 December at a
meeting with optical bodies to discuss the Health and Care Bill (currently
before Parliament).

As part of the bill, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) will replace Clinical
Commissioning Groups (CCGs). Under the new structure NHS England will
devolve the management of GOS contracts to ICBs. However, this will simply
be about contract management, GOS itself will be without local variation.

The Bill also introduces a new commissioning framework for local services
known as the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). Optical bodies have agreed to
work collaboratively with NHS England to help ensure the PSR helps ICBs
understand the Primary Ophthalmic Services (POS) framework and enables
them to make the best use of extended primary eye care services for the
benefit of patients and the wider NHS.