Welsh Ministers have made new regulations to uprate NHS optical voucher values in Wales. The National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2025 were made on 21 October 2025, laid before Senedd Cymru on 23 October 2025, and come into force on 11 November 2025. Although the commencement date is in November, the regulations take effect from 1 April 2025 to govern voucher amounts for supply, replacement and repair of optical appliances in Wales.
The instrument amends the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1997 by replacing Schedule 1 on voucher number codes and face values for supply and replacement, revising monetary amounts in Schedule 2 for specified lens supplements and complex appliances, and replacing Schedule 3 which sets voucher values for repair. No changes are made to eligibility categories; the legal framework for who can receive an optical voucher remains as set out in the 1997 Regulations.
The changes to Schedule 2 increase the additional amounts payable for prisms, tints, photochromic lenses, small and special glasses, and complex appliances. The updated figures are as follows: prisms at £12.68 and £14.80 depending on specification, with tint supplements at £2.11 and £2.64. The complex appliances supplement rises to £67.90, and for the sub‑categories under paragraph 1(1)(g), the amounts are £67.90, £60.27 and £32.57. The paragraph 1(1A) supplement becomes £15.86. The small glasses and special glasses supplements move to £15.44 and £39.56 respectively. Taken together, these uplifts are broadly around four per cent across the listed items.
For everyday practice this means contractors should apply the new face values and supplements when issuing or completing vouchers on or after 1 April 2025. Regulation 3 sets a clear transitional arrangement: if a voucher was issued under regulations 9, 10 or 11, or completed under regulation 16, on or after 21 October 2024 but was not used or accepted under regulation 12 or 17 before 1 April 2025, it retains the face value that applied immediately before 1 April 2025 and must be redeemed on that basis.
Schedule 1, which maps voucher number codes to face values for supply and replacement, is wholly substituted. Contractors should ensure internal pricing sheets, practice management systems and staff reference materials reflect the reissued schedule from 1 April 2025. The lens categories linked to voucher number codes continue to be defined by spherical and cylindrical power thresholds, so coding accuracy remains important for claims to Local Health Boards.
Schedule 3 on repairs is also replaced. Providers should use the new repair voucher values for claims relating to breakages and component replacements carried out on or after 1 April 2025, ensuring documentation clearly records the repair date and the applicable number code so that redemption aligns with the updated schedule.
The lens category descriptions included in the schedules continue to distinguish single vision and multifocal lenses by dioptre ranges. For example, single vision lenses above 6 but below 10 dioptres with limited cylindrical power align to one code, while higher powers such as above 14 or above 20 dioptres map to higher codes. Multifocal lenses follow the same approach, including provision for prism‑controlled multifocals. Accurate transcription of these thresholds onto prescriptions and claims reduces the risk of rejections.
For reception teams and dispensing opticians, the operational check remains the date sequence. If a patient presents a voucher issued in February 2025 and it was not accepted before 1 April 2025, the pre‑April value applies. A voucher issued on or after 1 April 2025 uses the new face value and updated supplements. Record the relevant regulation steps-issue, acceptance and completion-so that the correct schedule is referenced during redemption.
For finance leads in ophthalmic practices and Local Health Boards, the practical effect is a modest uprating of supplement lines and a refresh of the supply and repair voucher tables. Claims workflows should be tested against the new schedules, particularly where electronic systems auto‑populate values. Staff should be briefed to differentiate date of issue from date of acceptance, as this determines which value set a claim must use under the transitional provision.
The regulations are made under sections 129 and 203(9) and (10) of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006 and are signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles. The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered; a formal impact assessment was not required in this case. Providers should therefore treat 1 April 2025 as the operative date for values while noting the commencement date of 11 November 2025 for the instrument itself.