Following NHS England’s publication of post-consultation changes to the NHS Payment Scheme, College President Professor Ben Burton, said:
“It is disappointing that NHS England has scrapped plans to introduce a payment limit for elective providers, with no clear explanation for their decision or future plans.
“It is vital that commissioners have more control over their budgets to be able to deliver sustainable services. In ophthalmology, spending on cataract services has hugely increased, particularly because of rising independent sector activity. Meanwhile, funding for services that support clinically higher-risk eye patients, such as those living with complex glaucoma and wet age-related macular degeneration, has been insufficient. A rebalancing of this activity so we ensure best use of limited resources and do more to prevent irreversible sight loss is essential.
“We look forward to seeing and responding to the forthcoming consultation on strengthening the NHS Standard Contract to enable better management of activity levels.”