Statutory Instruments
2024 No. 294
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, ENGLAND
The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
Made
4th March 2024
Laid before Parliament
5th March 2024
Coming into force
1st April 2024
The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 180(1) and (3), 272(7) and (8) of the National Health Service Act 2006( 1 ).
Citation, commencement and extent
1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
(2) These Regulations come into force on 1st April 2024.
(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.
Amendment of the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 2013
2. —(1)The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 2013( 2 ) are amended as follows.
(2) In regulation 20 (redemption value of voucher for replacement or repair)—
(a) in paragraph (1)(b), for “£60.75” substitute “£61.77” ;
(b) in paragraph (3), for “£15.80” substitute “£16.06” .
(3) In Schedule 1 (voucher letter codes and face values - supply and replacement), in column (3) (face value of voucher) of the table—
(a) for “£41.70” substitute “£42.40” ;
(b) for “£63.20” substitute “£64.26” ;
(c) for “£92.60” substitute “£94.14” ;
(d) for “£208.90” substitute “£212.40” ;
(e) for “£71.90” substitute “£73.10” ;
(f) for “£91.20” substitute “£92.72” ;
(g) for “£118.50” substitute “£120.48” ;
(h) for “£229.70” substitute “£233.56” ;
(i) for “£214.00” substitute “£217.58” ;
(j) for “£60.75” substitute “£61.77” .
(4) In Schedule 2 (prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses and complex appliances)—
(a) in paragraph 1(1)—
(i) in paragraph (a), for “£13.45” substitute “£13.67” ;
(ii) in paragraph (b), for “£16.40” substitute “£16.67” ;
(iii) in paragraph (c), for “£4.70” substitute “£4.77” ;
(iv) in paragraph (d), for “£5.20” substitute “£5.28” ;
(v) in paragraph (e)—
(aa) for “£68.45” substitute “£69.60” ;
(bb) for “£60.75” substitute “£61.77” ;
(cc) for “£32.80” substitute “£33.35” ;
(vi) in paragraph (f)—
(aa) in sub-paragraph (i), for “£68.45” substitute “£69.60” ;
(bb) in sub-paragraph (ii), for “£60.75” substitute “£61.77” ;
(cc) in sub-paragraph (iii), for “£32.80” substitute “£33.35” ;
(b) in paragraph 2—
(i) in sub-paragraph (a), for “£15.55” substitute “£15.81” ;
(ii) in sub-paragraph (b), for “£39.90” substitute “£40.57” .
(5) In Schedule 3 (voucher values – repair), for the table substitute—
| “ (1) | (2) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature of repair | Letter of code - value of voucher | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Repair or replacement of one lens | £13.17 | £24.10 | £39.04 | £98.17 | £28.52 | £38.33 | £52.21 | £108.75 | £100.76 |
| Repair or replacement of two lenses | £26.34 | £48.20 | £78.08 | £196.34 | £57.04 | £76.66 | £104.42 | £217.50 | £201.52 |
| Repair or replacement of the front of a frame | £13.47 | £13.47 | £13.47 | £13.47 | £13.47 | £13.47 | £13.47 | £13.47 | £13.47 |
| Repair or replacement of the side of a frame | £7.98 | £7.98 | £7.98 | £7.98 | £7.98 | £7.98 | £7.98 | £7.98 | £7.98 |
| Repair or replacement of the whole of a frame | £16.06 | £16.06 | £16.06 | £16.06 | £16.06 | £16.06 | £16.06 | £16.06 | £16.06. ” |
Saving provision
3. Where, before 1st April 2024, a voucher is accepted or presented by virtue of regulation 12 (use of vouchers for supply of optical appliances) or regulation 18 (use of vouchers for replacement or repair) of the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 2013, Schedules 1 to 3 of those Regulations have effect in relation to that voucher as if these Regulations had not come into force.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Andrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Department of Health and Social Care
4th March 2024
2006 c. 41 . Section 180 was amended by section 34 of, and Schedule 6 to, the Health Act 2009 (c. 21) , section 205 of, and paragraph 96 of Schedule 4 to, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (c. 7) , and paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 1 to the Health and Care Act 2022 (c. 31) . “ Prescribed ” and “ regulations ” are defined in section 275 of the National Health Service Act 2006. By virtue of section 271(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006, the powers conferred by these sections are exercisable by the Secretary of State only in relation to England.
S.I. 2013/461 . The relevant amending instruments are S.I. 2016/325 , S.I. 2022/221 and S.I. 2023/244 . Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the NHS Commissioning Board was renamed NHS England (section 1). As a consequence of that change, under paragraph 1(3) of Schedule 1 to the Health and Care Act 2022, the references to the NHS Commissioning Board in S.I. 2013/261 (defined as “the Board” in regulation 1(1)) are to be read, in relation to any time on or after 1st July 2022, as references to NHS England.