Christmas Opening Hours
22 December 2023 8:30am to 3:30pm
Closed 25 and 26 December 2023
27 to 29 December 2023 8:30am to 3:30pm
Activities we carry out
We work on behalf of NHS England (NHSE) on the following tasks:
Annual general ophthalmic services (GOS) complaints
The 2019-20 GOS complaints submission ran in conjunction with the 2020-21 submission. After a successful collection of GOS complaints we can confirm the dates for this year’s collection.
The 2021-22 GOS complaints submission will be open between Monday 17 April 2023 to Friday 26 May 2023. The submission window will reopen on Saturday 1 July 2023 and close on Monday 31 July 2023 for non-responders to complete their submission.
Under GOS regulations 2008, contractors are required to submit an annual form that shows the number of written complaints received in their practice.
If contractors have not received any complaints a ‘zero return’ is required.
Annual GOS Complaints Submission National Briefing - April 2023 (Word: 246KB)
If you have any questions, contact our provider assurance team by:
Email: pao@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
Our core hours are 8am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.
GOS 4 pre-authorisation
We must authorise all claims for GOS 4 repair or replacement vouchers.
Ophthalmic contractors are required to seek pre-authorisation from us for all GOS 4 claims. Patients are entitled to a GOS 4 if they have damaged or lost their glasses and they are:
- aged 16 or over
- in receipt of a particular benefit
- have a qualifying health condition
Patients aged 16 to 17 and in support of local care do not need pre-approval.
Once we’ve received the information from you, we will assess your claim as quickly as possible.
Delegated Responsibility and Ophthalmic Services webinar
We recently held a 90-minute webinar on the topic of Delegated Responsibility and Ophthalmic Services aimed at contract and commissioning leads, strategy and transformation leads, primary care leads, quality leads, and business intelligence / performance leads.
The webinar covers the mandated and extra support the NHS Business Services Authority can offer to assist integrated care boards when taking on delegated commissioning responsibility for NHS ophthalmic services. It discusses topics such as contract management, data collection and maintenance, payment processing and post-payment verification, quality assurance, and data and insight.
View the Delegated Responsibility and Ophthalmic Services webinar on YouTube.
How to apply for an NHSmail account
If you're a GOS contractor, NHSmail is a safe and secure way to communicate with us.
To get an NHSmail account, complete our online form. This process can take up to two weeks.
The Data Security Protection (DSP) Toolkit must be completed before applying for an NHSmail account. This requirement was temporarily waivered until 30 June 2021.
Note that this registration route is only available to organisations with 10 or less practices at the present time.
Contact Us
Due to coronavirus (COVID-19), our phone lines for Provider Assurance Ophthalmic are temporarily unavailable. If you need to contact us, we're available to support by email between 8am and 4:30pm. You can email us at pao@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
