National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) and (General Ophthalmic Services) Amendment Regulations 2001

Amendment of 1986 Regulations

9.  Regulation 13A (sight tests—applications) shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions.

(2) For paragraph (4)(a) substitute—

“(4) (a) Subject to paragraph (5)—

(i) satisfy himself that the person is an eligible person by asking for satisfactory evidence of entitlement, unless the contractor, in cases other than where the patient is a person specified in regulation 13(1)(c), already has satisfactory evidence of it available to him; and

(ii) where the patient has been asked for but not produced satisfactory evidence that he is an eligible person, then the contractor shall record the fact on the patient’s sight test form;”.

(3) After paragraph (5) add the following paragraphs—

“(6) Where the contractor has provided the sight test at the place where the patient normally resides, he shall record on the sight test form the reason given by the patient, or on his behalf, for not being able to leave home unaccompanied.

(7) The contractor may appoint a member of his staff to carry out the requirements placed on him by paragraph (4)(a)(i) and (ii) on his behalf, provided that he ensures that person is given instruction by him to enable him to fulfil the requirements on his behalf.”.