“Unacceptable” ophthalmology waits

Patients with eye conditions have faced “unacceptable” waiting times and a “fragile” and “unfit” ophthalmology department, according to a report.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust is proposing to close one of its three main ophthalmology sites, and hopes the move will improve team-work and communication and help recruit and retain the best staff.

Patients and representative groups and charities are being surveyed about the service and the trust’s plans for it.

In a report due to go before councillors this week, SaTH transformation chief Tony Fox writes: “For many years, ophthalmology services provided at SaTH have been considered a ‘fragile’ service and have had many challenges.”

Mr Fox notes that ophthalmology – the branch of medicine that deals with eye disorders – is carried out at three main sites in the SaTH Trust area: The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, The Princess Royal Hospital, and the Euston House Clinic, in Telford.

“The increasing demands on the service means that the ophthalmology department accommodation is not fit for purpose,” he writes, adding that this view is shared by the Royal College of Ophthalmology, The Macular Society and Healthwatch.

In 2017, SaTH’s trust board heard that “recruitment and retention of medical staff” was another major problem faced by its ophthalmology services.
Mr Fox writes: “The department has had some significant challenges for a number of years.

“This has resulted in the department employing agency clinicians who put an additional strain on finances and, whilst bolstering the quantity of staff, commitment to improving the department may not be their priority.

“Following the investment into accommodation at RSH, SaTH has managed to recruit to most vacancies and reduce its reliance on agency staff.

“Investing in an improved environment with reduced travelling requirements would encourage persons currently in post to remain and improve the chances of employment into vacancies.”

Mr Fox writes that SaTH’s current proposal is to move adult outpatient services out of Euston House and into the two main hospitals, and move cataract surgery to RSH.

Euston House handled 3,901 outpatients in 2017-18, down from 10,114 and 7,516 in the two preceding years. By comparison, medics at the RSH ophthalmology department saw 34,891 outpatients in 2017-18, while 6,488 attended PRH.

If the proposal is approved and fully implemented, adult and paediatric services will be provided at both PRH and RSH, but only the Shrewsbury Hospital will have an urgent eye clinic and carry out emergency surgery.

PRH will carry out all paediatric surgery involving general or local anaesthetic, and all adult surgery reconstructive.

Mr Fox – who, as well as being SaTH’s deputy medical director for transformation, is a vascular surgeon – will present his report to a meeting of the Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee.

This panel, which consists of members of both Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin councils, will meet at Shrewsbury Shirehall on Friday.