Bethell and Clark
5 Head Street, Colchester, CO1 1NX
What the NHS register says about this practice
Bethell and Clark is listed as an active optical site in the NHS Organisation Data Service on 4 September 2026, at 5 Head Street, Colchester, CO1 1NX, in the Castle ward of Colchester. The site has held a listing since April 2008, 18 years at this snapshot. It is a single-site practice operated by Bethell and Clark. Independent practices set their own fees and often run longer appointments than the chains. NHS sight testing at this address is commissioned through NHS Essex Integrated Care Board, in the East of England Commissioning Region.
It is one of 18 optical sites the register holds in Colchester, 5 of which are within a mile of this address. Independent practices like this one typically charge £30 to £60 for a private sight test, against £24 to £30 at the big chains, and the test is free if you qualify for NHS funding.
Register record
- ODS site code
- TP14M
- Register status
- Active optical site on 4 September 2026
- On the register since
- April 2008 (18 years)
- Address
- 5 Head Street, Colchester, CO1 1NX
- Operated by
- Bethell and Clark
- Sites held by that contractor
- 1 in England
- Local authority district
- Colchester
- Ward
- Castle
- Commissioned through
- NHS Essex Integrated Care Board
- NHS England region
- East of England Commissioning Region
- Postcode district
- CO1
- Other listed practices within a mile
- 5
What an eye test costs at Bethell and Clark
The register does not hold prices, and this practice is not part of a chain with a published national rate. Independent practices in England usually charge £30 to £60 for a private sight test, often with a longer appointment and more imaging than the high street minimum. Ring the practice for its own fee before you book.
An NHS-funded sight test at any listed site costs nothing if you are under 16, aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, over 60, diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma, at risk of glaucoma through a close relative, or receiving Universal Credit and similar benefits. Check the full eligibility list. If you also qualify for an optical voucher, it is worth £42.40 to £233.56 towards glasses depending on your prescription.
Nearest other listed practices
Straight-line distances from CO1 1NX to the closest optical sites on the same register. Worth checking if you want a second quote or a nearer appointment.
Where this data comes from
Practice records are taken from the NHS Organisation Data Service reference data for Optical Headquarters and Sites, snapshot taken 4 September 2026. A listing records that an optical site was on the register on that date. It is not an NHS endorsement, a licence, a quality rating, or a guarantee that the practice is taking new patients. Opening hours, telephone numbers and prices are not held in this dataset, so confirm them with the practice before travelling.
Contains information from NHS England, licenced under the current version of the Open Government Licence. Released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. District, ward and coordinates from postcodes.io. Contains OS data (c) Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data (c) Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data (c) Crown copyright and database right 2026.
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