In an attempt to rein in the private providers of ophthalmology services, NHS England has just launched a consultation to reduce tariff prices for three of the most common procedures.
The proposed changes could result in 20 independent sector hospitals losing a total of £64m, with NHS providers gaining a similar amount, according to the NHSE impact assessment.
The reduction in payments, noted by the NHSE, will allow money to be redirected to other ophthalmology services.
The consultation follows years of concern over the impact the private sector has had on the ophthalmology area. There has been a massive expansion of NHS-funded cataract surgery, perhaps the most straightforward of ophthalmology procedures, by private providers. The consultation notice, published by NHSE on 8 July, stated that cataract activity had nearly doubled to more than 450,000 treatments between 2017-18 and 2023-24.
On the back of so much NHS work, the top five companies have opened 101 new eye clinics between them over the past five years, taking the total to 126 in England. They have received millions each year, much of which has gone in profit to investors and to pay off company debts, according to the CHPI.
Full article in The Lowdown, 28th July 2025
