11 May 2010
The UK Domiciliary Eyecare Committee has recently published advice to domiciliary providers about issuing notices of the right to cancel an order for glasses. This advice is in response to the Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008 which came into operation on 1 October 2008 and which require all traders who accept an order for goods or services worth more than £35.00 during a visit by the trader to a consumer’s home to issue a notice of the right to cancel the order.
The supply of glasses, whether or not an NHS optical voucher is used in full or part payment, is essentially a private transaction and, since most glasses cost at least £36.20, most contracts for the supply of glasses which are made in a patient’s home will fall within the scope of these regulations. PCTs should note that that it is local authorities in their role as weights and measures authorities, rather than PCTs, which have the duty to enforce these regulations and to institute proceedings for any offence against them.
We are also publishing for PCTs’ information the UK Domiciliary Eyecare Committee’s Code of practice for domiciliary eye care.
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