GOS / PCSE

NHS England GOS Contracts
NHS England General Ophthalmic Service (GOS) Contracts are overseen by the regional team.

New and changes to the contracts may take 90 days or more to enact.  Please give NHSE as much notice as possible to amend your practice’s contract.
NHSBSA will be delivering a (GOS) contract management on behalf of NHSE Regional in East of England.  They administrate contract applications in line with the NHS England Eye Health policy book.
You will need to complete a number of documents and there will be a practice visit arranged too.  The information for this process is highlighted on the document which is found here – giving guidance on initiating, changing or terminating your GOS contract.

Email addresses as of July 2023
pao-cm@nhsbsa.nhs.uk – For GOS contract new applications, variations, and terminations.
pao-ppv@nhsbsa.nhs.uk – For Post Payment Verification account queries.
pao-support@nhsbsa.nhs.uk – For Egress accounts and NHSMail set-up codes.
pao@nhsbsa.nhs.uk – For GOS 4 pre-authorisation for adults and any other PAO enquires.

The regional team can be contacted on hweicbhv.optical@nhs.net.

Changing your GOS Contract

Any changes to your NHS contract must be processed and approved before the change can take place.
A recent situation has meant that a contractor had relocated premises without notifying NHSE had to cease carrying out any NHS eye tests until a relocation application had been made, processed and approved.
It is imperative that you ensure you are notifying NHSE of the following:
Applications
  • Applying for a Mandatory contract
  • Applying for an Additional contract
  • Applying as a Dispensing-only practice
  • Termination of a contract
Contract Variations
  • Change in GOS hours
  • Premises change / relocations (Mandatory contracts)
  • Change of address (Domiciliary practices)
  • Adding a new borough for a domiciliary provider
  • Change from an individual to a partnership
  • A partner joining or leaving a partnership (not to or from an individual)
  • Change from a partnership to an individual
  • Addition or removal of directors to a body corporate
  • Change of trading name
  • Change of registered office
  • Retirement – including retirement of a contractor (single handed), retirement of two or more individuals
  • Body corporate changes
  • Changes to bank accounts and head office address
  • Death of a contractor
  • Termination of contract

Full guidance can be found on the NHS BSA website at GOS Contract Management | NHSBSA. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please email pao-cm@nhsbsa.nhs.uk in the first instance.

Following this process will ensure all optometry contractors are adhering to the requirements outlined in the Eye Health policy Book when making any contractual changes. This is essential for maintaining compliance and ensuring smooth service delivery.

Terminating your GOS Contract
It is also important the vendor informs NHSE of their intention to terminate their contract.  Again, this usually needs 90 days notice.  The Optometry Contracting team are inadvertently coming across a substantial number of NHS GOS contracts that have terminated without the contracting team being notified through the proper process.
If you are wishing to terminate your NHS GOS contract, you must notify the optometry team through the NHS Business Services Authority GOS contract management team in the first instance: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/provider-assurance-ophthalmic/gos-contract-management
Documents you will need to fill in are available on Quality in Optometry, www.qualityinoptometry.co.uk  The “GOS Contract in England checklist” section, has several policy templates on there to help you.  See more information in our QiO section.

Definition of a Health Service Body

Primary Care Support England – helpful documents & links

Clarification on Eligibility for NHS funded Domiciliary Eye Test

The following patient videos are developed by various eyecare professional bodies may be useful to share to your patients – https://www.healthandcarevideos.uk/eyes

Requests for second pairs
Please use the following form for second voucher request and email it to england.optometryeast@nhs.net. Put the email subject line: “Request for second voucher/GOS3” so whomever is monitoring the inbox can direct the request to the Optical Advisor for a decision. https://www.england.nhs.uk/south-east/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2020/01/Application-for-Second-Pair-voucher-national-templates-February-2018.docx

Voucher Values 2023
2023-Voucher-England-FINAL

Making Accurate Claims
Making Accurate Claims is a document that is the first port of call for GOS claims queries.  Please find the document here or via the AOP site here – https://www.aop.org.uk/advice-and-support/regulation/england/making-accurate-claims

Guidance on overseas visitor charges
Guidance on Overseas Visitor Charging Regulations and Eye Care Services

Post Payment Verification
Guidance for commissioners on post payment verification can be found – here.

NHS Mail

NHS email guide for practices.

The email address for the East of England NHS.net IT administrator is Nelcsu.itservicedesksouth@nhs.net

During COVID19 NHSE-I confirmed that the NHSmail application process has changed further.  All GOS contractors requiring NHSmail accounts (not just those providing MECS/CUES), should complete a new online form: https://forms.office.com/r/SzaDjwpZxM

1/12/22 – IT comm NHS mail update – Log into your account regularly.  Any account not used for 30 days will be marked inactive and then deleted.

If a user is facing password or MFA issues they can contact the Local Administrator. Local Administrator details for “EAST OF ENGLAND COMMISSIONING HUB”:
Local Support Telephone: 01268 243731
Link to find the Local Administrator of your organisation.
https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/finding-your-local-administrator/Please refer the below guidance for the assistance:-
https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/mfa-admin-guide/

Please follow the below guidance to re-enroll MFA: –
https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/mfa-admin-guide/#mfa-re-enrolment

For further information related to the enrolment of MFA please refer to the below support link:
https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/getting-started-with-mfa/

Complaints About a GOS Contractor/Performer
Since the GOS Contract Governance has been delegated to each ICS, we now have several contact email addresses you may need to use, in order to make a complaint.  Please see details of the correct contact email address for the correct ICS:
ICS Email Address
NHS Beds, Luton and Milton Keynes blmkicb.contactus@nhs.net
NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough cpicb.pet@nhs.net
NHS Herts and West Essex hweicbwe.patientfeedback@nhs.net
NHS Mid and South Essex mseicb.complaints@nhs.net
NHS Norfolk and Waveney nwicb.complaintsservice@nhs.net
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex sneeicb.complaints@nhs.net

Guidance of GOC Fitness to Practice
Fitness to Practice guidance

Updates and News

16/3/2022 – OFNC press release on Optometrist Performer Listing
9/3/2022 – DHSC Press Statment on proposed GOS fees grants and patient voucher values 22-23_ FINAL

GOS fees 2020 21 letter
OFNC GOS fees 2021-22 draft version 2 210107
OFNC statement on GOS fees 2021-22 final 210321 (002)
OFNC response to GOS fees decision 2021-22 final