2018 No. 211

Health And Personal Social Services

The Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018

Made

Coming into operation

The Department of Health1 makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 62, 98, 106 and 107(6) of, and Schedule 15 to, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19722, with the approval of the Department of Finance.

In accordance with Article 62(3) of that Order it has consulted with such organisations as appear to it to be representative of medical practitioners practising as ophthalmic medical practitioners and ophthalmic opticians.

Citation, commencement and interpretation1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018 and shall come into operation on 3rd January 2019.

2

In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19973.

Amendment of regulation 19 of the principal Regulations2

1

In regulation 19 of the principal Regulations (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—

a

in paragraph (1)(b) for “£57.00” substitute “£57.60”; and

b

in paragraph (3) for “£14.80” substitute “£14.90”.

Amendments of the Schedules to the principal Regulations3

1

In Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (voucher letter codes and face values – supply and replacement)4, in column 3 (face value of voucher), for each amount specified in column 1 of the Table below (old amount) substitute the amount specified in relation to it in column 2 of that Table (new amount).

Table

Column 1

Old Amount

Column 2

New Amount

£39.10

£39.50

£59.30

£59.90

£86.90

£87.80

£196.00

£198.00

£67.50

£68.20

£85.60

£86.50

£111.20

£112.30

£215.50

£217.70

£200.80

£202.80

2

In Schedule 25 to the principal Regulations (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—

a

in paragraph 1(1)(a) (prism – single vision lens) for “£12.60” substitute “£12.70”;

b

in paragraph 1(1)(b) (prism – other lens) for “£15.40” substitute “£15.60”;

c

in paragraph 1(1)(c) (single vision tinted lens) for “£4.40” substitute “£4.50”;

d

in paragraph 1(1)(d) (other tinted lens) for “£4.90” substitute “£5.00”;

e

in paragraph 1(1)(e) (small glasses)—

i

in sub-head (i) for “£64.20” substitute “£64.80”;

ii

in sub-head (ii) for “£57.00” substitute “£57.60”;

iii

in sub-head (iii) for “£30.80” substitute “£31.10”;

f

for paragraph 1(1)(g) (specially manufactured frames) substitute —

g

where the voucher is issued by an ophthalmic medical practitioner, optician or a HSC Trust, the frame of which is certified by the ophthalmic medical practitioner, optician or a HSC Trust as being required to be specifically manufactured on account of the patient’s facial characteristics;

i

by £64.85 in the case of the supply or replacement of the glasses or repair of the whole frame;

ii

by £57.55 in the case of repair of the front of the frame; and

iii

by £31.10 in the case of repair of a side frame.;

g

in paragraph 2(a) (minimum complex appliance payment — single vision lenses) for “£14.60” substitute “£14.70”; and

h

in paragraph 2(b) (minimum complex appliance payment — other cases) for “£37.40” substitute “£37.80”.

3

For Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations (voucher value repair)6, substitute the Schedule 3 as set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Application of Regulations 2 and 34

The amendments made in regulations 2 and 3 apply only in relation to a voucher accepted or used pursuant to regulation 12 or regulation 17 of the principal Regulations on or after xxth January 2019.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health on 13th December 2018

seal_r00001Kiera LloydA senior officer of the Department of Health

The Department of Finance hereby approves the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on 13th December 2018

seal_r00001Emer MorelliA senior officer of the Department of Finance

SCHEDULESCHEDULE 3 TO THE PRINCIPAL REGULATIONS AS SUBSTITUTED BY THESE REGULATIONS

Regulation 3(3)

SCHEDULE 3VOUCHER VALUE REPAIR

REGULATION 19(2) AND (3)

Letter Codes - Values

Nature of repair

A

£

B

£

C

£

D

£

E

£

F

£

G

£

H

£

I

£

Repair or replacement of one lens

12.30

22.50

36.40

91.50

26.60

35.75

48.70

101.35

93.95

Repair or replacement of two lenses

24.55

44.95

72.80

183.00

53.20

71.50

97.35

202.70

187.85

Repair or replacement of:

the front of a frame

12.60

12.60

12.60

12.60

12.60

12.60

12.60

12.60

12.60

a side of a frame

7.40

7.40

7.40

7.40

7.40

7.40

7.40

7.40

7.40

the whole frame

14.95

14.95

14.95

14.95

14.95

14.95

14.95

14.95

14.95

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Health and Personal Social Services (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”) which provide for payment 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 regulation 19 of the principal Regulations to increase the redemption value of a voucher issued towards the cost of replacement of a single contact lens and to increase the maximum contribution by way of a voucher to the cost of repair of a frame.

Regulation 3 and the Schedule amend Schedules 1, 2 and 3 to the principal Regulations. Firstly, the value of vouchers issued towards the costs of supply and replacement of glasses and contact lenses is increased and a new provision introduced to allow practitioners to issue and certify vouchers for glasses where the frame needs to be specially manufactured; secondly, the additional values for vouchers for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses and special categories of appliances are increased; and thirdly, the value of vouchers issued towards the cost of repair and replacement of optical appliances is increased.

Regulation 4 provides that the increases contained in regulation 2 and 3 apply only in relation to vouchers accepted or used on or after 3rd January 2019.