Children's glasses on the NHS
21 October 2016, 06:52 PM
#1
Children's glasses on the NHS
Apologies in advance for the long post, but my **** is absolutely boiling!!!
My wife took my kids to have their eyes tested today, having been herself last week and make a general enquiry about whether kids should have their eyes tested frequently or not.
She took them to one of the high street chains today - personally I don't like these as they always seem to be staffed by very young inexperienced opticians. Anyhow not expecting any issues, i made no objection.
She returned to advise me that my son is long sighted in one eye, and needs glasses to read. When I asked some questions about how the test was conducted my wife couldn't tell me as she was aksed to wait outside. The problem I have with this, is my son doesn't always understand what you are asking him, and is too shy to state this - his usual response is to nod his head, say yes or answer in the affirmative, sometimes he will change his mind once he has thought about the question.
My concern is that without my wife being in the room, he may have given the wrong information. The other thing he does is confuse letters, B and D, P and G, X, V and Y also without pointing at the letters to be read from the chart, he is unlikely to have known what is meant by the third letter on the bottom line.
Maybe the test was conducted properly and none of this was a problem, but with my wife outside, we can't be sure. The outcome is that he has been recommended specs, and I don't want him starting to wear these unless I am absolutely convinced that it is necessary - for such a minimal correction I would have actually preferred no recommendation for glasses and a review in 6 months.
I told my wife not to worry, that I am due an eye test from my regular optician in 2 weeks and will take hime with me for a test by way of a second opinion that I am happy to pay for.
My wife had already selected frames and placed the order with the optician, I called within an hour of that order being placed to advise the store manager that I would like to cancel the order for specs, to be told that I can't cancel the order. When asked why not, I was told the order was already at the lab and work would have started to make the glasses. I made it clear that I doubted that, as the turn-around time was stated as 2 weeks before the specs were due in store. She then changed her story that she had been able to cancel the order, but explained that as they were ordered on an NHS voucher, the voucher had already been drawn down, so I couldn't use it elsewhere. I clarified that the NHS voucher for the eye test would be used, but there was no need to use the voucher for glasses, because the order was cancelled. She explained that is not how it works, and went on to say that my wife had signed a document to that effect. Just to clarify I ran the manager over the facts again that the order had been cancelled, no glasses would be produced, and no costs incurred for labour, so why was payment being taken from the NHS? I added that I doubted the NHS would operate in such an efficient way to instantly make payment, given their love of paper and audit trails. She advised all opticians operated in this way. When I offered to take this up with the minister for health in NI, she changed her story again, that she would refrain from submitting the paperwork to draw down funds for the now cancelled order. Just to make my point, I confirmed that she had previously stated funds had already been drawn down, she was now agreeing not to proceed with drawing down funds, which version was the truth? She advised it was the latter, that the application for funds had not been submitted.
I am so angry about this firstly because people who lie to me make me angry anyway, and it is often by getting angry with them their story starts to unravel or their body language gives them away - or whether it is the open approach to willingly taking £90 fraudulently from the NHS for glasses that were never produced. It is akin to my GP writing a prescription and the charge for the drugs being made by the GP at the point of handing over the script, instead of the charge being made by the chemist at the point where the drugs are dispensed, or a dentist claiming for filling my children's teeth without actually doing the work.
I get that there are probably not that many parents who cancel the order, but I feel at the moment this chain is operating in a less than ethical way.
My wife took my kids to have their eyes tested today, having been herself last week and make a general enquiry about whether kids should have their eyes tested frequently or not.
She took them to one of the high street chains today - personally I don't like these as they always seem to be staffed by very young inexperienced opticians. Anyhow not expecting any issues, i made no objection.
She returned to advise me that my son is long sighted in one eye, and needs glasses to read. When I asked some questions about how the test was conducted my wife couldn't tell me as she was aksed to wait outside. The problem I have with this, is my son doesn't always understand what you are asking him, and is too shy to state this - his usual response is to nod his head, say yes or answer in the affirmative, sometimes he will change his mind once he has thought about the question.
My concern is that without my wife being in the room, he may have given the wrong information. The other thing he does is confuse letters, B and D, P and G, X, V and Y also without pointing at the letters to be read from the chart, he is unlikely to have known what is meant by the third letter on the bottom line.
Maybe the test was conducted properly and none of this was a problem, but with my wife outside, we can't be sure. The outcome is that he has been recommended specs, and I don't want him starting to wear these unless I am absolutely convinced that it is necessary - for such a minimal correction I would have actually preferred no recommendation for glasses and a review in 6 months.
I told my wife not to worry, that I am due an eye test from my regular optician in 2 weeks and will take hime with me for a test by way of a second opinion that I am happy to pay for.
My wife had already selected frames and placed the order with the optician, I called within an hour of that order being placed to advise the store manager that I would like to cancel the order for specs, to be told that I can't cancel the order. When asked why not, I was told the order was already at the lab and work would have started to make the glasses. I made it clear that I doubted that, as the turn-around time was stated as 2 weeks before the specs were due in store. She then changed her story that she had been able to cancel the order, but explained that as they were ordered on an NHS voucher, the voucher had already been drawn down, so I couldn't use it elsewhere. I clarified that the NHS voucher for the eye test would be used, but there was no need to use the voucher for glasses, because the order was cancelled. She explained that is not how it works, and went on to say that my wife had signed a document to that effect. Just to clarify I ran the manager over the facts again that the order had been cancelled, no glasses would be produced, and no costs incurred for labour, so why was payment being taken from the NHS? I added that I doubted the NHS would operate in such an efficient way to instantly make payment, given their love of paper and audit trails. She advised all opticians operated in this way. When I offered to take this up with the minister for health in NI, she changed her story again, that she would refrain from submitting the paperwork to draw down funds for the now cancelled order. Just to make my point, I confirmed that she had previously stated funds had already been drawn down, she was now agreeing not to proceed with drawing down funds, which version was the truth? She advised it was the latter, that the application for funds had not been submitted.
I am so angry about this firstly because people who lie to me make me angry anyway, and it is often by getting angry with them their story starts to unravel or their body language gives them away - or whether it is the open approach to willingly taking £90 fraudulently from the NHS for glasses that were never produced. It is akin to my GP writing a prescription and the charge for the drugs being made by the GP at the point of handing over the script, instead of the charge being made by the chemist at the point where the drugs are dispensed, or a dentist claiming for filling my children's teeth without actually doing the work.
I get that there are probably not that many parents who cancel the order, but I feel at the moment this chain is operating in a less than ethical way.
Last edited by tarmac terror; 21 October 2016 at 06:58 PM.
21 October 2016, 07:45 PM
#2
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TT, Well that would p,iss me off big time too. To ask the obvious question - why was Mrs TT excluded from room?
Then find out from your GP or Google who is in charge of commissioning services in your region and complain in writing with copy to GP.
David
Then find out from your GP or Google who is in charge of commissioning services in your region and complain in writing with copy to GP.
David
22 October 2016, 04:24 PM
#4
Your probably right to be concerned about the high street chains.
I don't go for eye tests regularly but my wife needed some new glasses so I went for a check at the same time.
Anyway ,after my wife spent about £300 quid on her new ones I said just put new lenses in mine as the frames were ok.
Got the new prescription and since then I have to take the bloody things off to read cooking instructions etc on food packaging which I never had to before ffs..
I am sure they got my prescription wrong so I will go back and ask for a second opinion on my prescription.
Hope you get a suitable outcome with your lads prescription.
I don't go for eye tests regularly but my wife needed some new glasses so I went for a check at the same time.
Anyway ,after my wife spent about £300 quid on her new ones I said just put new lenses in mine as the frames were ok.
Got the new prescription and since then I have to take the bloody things off to read cooking instructions etc on food packaging which I never had to before ffs..
I am sure they got my prescription wrong so I will go back and ask for a second opinion on my prescription.
Hope you get a suitable outcome with your lads prescription.
22 October 2016, 11:35 PM
#6
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What reason was your wife given for not being in the room?
I am finding it very hard to think of anything that makes sense.
On a similar note.My friend went for an assessment to claim PIP.He said his GP was somewhat reticent to provide him with his patient notes & said the Dept of Health will contact the GP if they need any further info.
He mentioned this to the person assessing him & she said that was because when the Dept ask the GP for more info he can charge them.
I am finding it very hard to think of anything that makes sense.
On a similar note.My friend went for an assessment to claim PIP.He said his GP was somewhat reticent to provide him with his patient notes & said the Dept of Health will contact the GP if they need any further info.
He mentioned this to the person assessing him & she said that was because when the Dept ask the GP for more info he can charge them.
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24 October 2016, 07:52 AM
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How old
is your son? I think Opticians presume that they will be told by the child if there are any issues but that is also down to the individual who is doing the testing obviously clarification should have been sought from your wife. I use Specsavers for contact lenses and I did get some new glasses from them a while ago. I had an issue with them with headaches and queried this and it was deemed they had one of the lenses off centre so were reglazed for free. Boots want £90 to reglaze a frame I bought plus the cost of new lenses just because I have not used one of their frames, I obvs told them to jog on. So horses for courses.
As others have said if your not happy report it
As others have said if your not happy report it
24 October 2016, 03:00 PM
#12
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I don't like the idea of letting a 6 year old in a room alone with a stranger.
You just never know.
I am sure when you complain they will take a pretty dim view of the conduct of their staff member.