Opthalmic – NHS North West Professional Standards
Welcome to NHS England North West – Optometry Professionals Hub
Greater Manchester, Cheshire & Merseyside, and Lancashire & South Cumbria ICB areas.
This information will provide helpful information and links and explain what is expected of you.
What do you need to know:
Please get in touch with the NHS England North West Performers List Team if you have any questions about your Performers List status, to contact an Optometric Adviser, queries about using the PCSE portal, or if we can be of any other assistance.
We are here to support you and will always do our best to assist.
Please include your GOC number so we can identify your records correctly.
We aim to respond to your message within 5 working days– if you prefer a telephone call, please let us know.
Who does what in the NHS?
NHS England: Decision maker. Approve applications, removals, and suspensions from the Performers List. Responsible for management of poorly performing practitioners under Performers List regulations. Decides who may hold a GOS contract for sight testing services (until delegated to ICBs in 2023‐24).
NHSBSA (NHS Business Services Authority): Processor of information. Runs approval system for Adult GOS4 claims. They also receive and process applications for new practice GOS contracts and variations to existing GOS contracts.
PCSE (Primary Care Support England): Processor of information. Processes GOS payment claims information including pre‐notification of domiciliary visits (all claims must be submitted electronically from 1 January 2024). Collates information for Performers List applications. Provides the portal for performers to keep their personal information up to date.
Integrated care boards (ICBs): Decision makers. Commission and manage GOS mandatory and additional services contracts and contracts for optometric local enhanced services, e.g., cataract direct referral, CUES, glaucoma repeat measures. ICBs now manage the GOS sight testing service. If you have a query relating to contracting, please get in touch with your local team: Find your local integrated care board (ICB) – nhs.uk.
Optometric Advisers:
In North West, we have a small team of practicing optometrists who work for us part-time and are available to offer clinical advice if needed. Please get in touch with our advisers via our Performer’s List team: england.nwperformerslist@nhs.net
Guide to General Ophthalmic Services:
Making accurate claims is a useful guide to interpreting the GOS regulations in England. Making accurate claims in England (aop.org.uk)
You might also want to examine The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 2013 No 461. The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 2013 (legislation.gov.uk)
Local Optical Committees:
Your local optical committee is useful for advice, guidance, and support. They are your link to the new integrated care systems (formerly clinical commissioning groups or CCGs). Their websites contain useful advice, guidance about local referral pathways, and enhanced services. They will be actively involved in contracting such enhanced services, e.g., CUES, cataract direct referral, and can assist you if you wish to participate.
If thinking of doing some work in other areas, links to the relevant LOC might be made via LOCSU locsu.co.uk
What do you need to do?
Your PCSE record
You can access your Performers List record via the PCSE portal at secure.pcse.england.nhs.uk
Guidance can be found at: pcse.england.nhs.uk/services/performers‐lists/ophthalmic‐performerslist‐for‐england
– You must keep your personal details up to date, including a change of personal and work address, contact details, and name changes.
– If you wish to leave the Performers List, you should give 3 months’ notice.
Performers List inclusion:
REMEMBER: If you fail to complete your annual GOC retention and are removed from the register, you will automatically be removed from the Performer’s List.
You cannot provide NHS GOS sight tests until you reapply and are approved to re-join the Performers List.
The full process can take several weeks and follows the NHS England Policy england.nhs.uk/publication/policy‐for‐managing‐applications‐to‐join‐the‐england‐performers‐lists
You must get in touch with NHS England if:
– You become subject to a GOC investigation (or any other regulatory body).
– You become subject to investigation by a current or previous employer or the NHSBSA.
– If you are refused inclusion, have conditions imposed, suspended from, or removed from any equivalent list elsewhere.
– You are convicted of a criminal offence in the UK (or elsewhere) or accept a police caution.
– You have conditions imposed, suspended, or removed from the GOC register.
– You resign from the GOC register (e.g., due to retirement or maternity).
– If you have not provided services as a performer for 12 months or more. Under the Performers List Regulations, you can be removed from the Performers List for non‐activity; however, this is not a given, and we would rather discuss options with you.