The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2001

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Scotland) Regulations 1998 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for payments to be made by means of a voucher system, in respect of costs incurred by certain categories of persons in connection with the supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances.

Regulation 2 amends the definition of “NHS sight test fee” in regulation 1(2) of the principal Regulations by increasing the amounts of the fee for sight testing where the person resides and elsewhere from £42.79 and £15.46 to £42.85 and £15.52 respectively.

Regulation 3 amends regulation 8(3) of the principal Regulations by increasing the amounts in sub-paragraphs (c), (d) and (g), by reference to which a person’s eligibility for vouchers is assessed, from £70 to £71.

Regulation 2 amends the definition of “NHS sight test fee” in regulation 2 of the principal Regulations by increasing the amounts of the fee for sight testing where the person resides and elsewhere from £42.79 and £15.46 to £42.85 and £15.52 respectively.

Regulations 4 and 6 amend regulation 12 and 16 of the principal Regulations by placing a supplier under a duty to request a patient to produce satisfactory evidence that he is an entitled person when that patient presents him with a voucher for an optical appliance, unless, in cases other than where the patient is eligible by virtue of his lack of resources, the supplier already has satisfactory evidence. If the patient does not do so, the supplier must record the fact on the voucher.

Regulations 5 and 7 amend regulations 13 and 18 of the principal Regulations to provide that payment shall be made to suppliers to meet or contribute to the cost of checking evidence of entitlement and making appropriate records.

Regulation 8 amends regulation 19 of the principal Regulations to increase the redemption values of vouchers for replacement or repair of appliances.

Regulation 9 amends the voucher values contained in the Schedules to the principal Regulations. Regulation 9(1) substitutes new voucher values, in the table contained in Schedule 1, for the supply and replacement of appliances. Regulation 9(2) and the Schedule to these Regulations substitute a new Schedule 2 to increase the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of the repair and replacement of optical appliances. Regulation 9(3) increases the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints or photochromic lenses, and special categories of appliances.

The increase in voucher values is, on average, 2½ percent.