Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Bayer have opened two community-based services in Manchester to ease the burden on the hospital sector for follow up appointments among people with retinal conditions.
The Cheetham Hill service, which was opened last week by Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, will cover patients in a 30-mile radius and serve the 3,000 patients in the Manchester area requiring review and assessment for treatment of sight-threatening macular disease. A second service in Wythenshawe will serve the south of the city.
Dr Sajjad Mahmood, consultant ophthalmologist at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, said the growing demand for eye care services was negatively impacting the ability to offer timely follow-up appointments.
‘While diagnostic and initial treatment appointments were meeting these standards, we needed to make sure patients continued to receive the best level of care with timely follow-up appointments,’ said Mahmood.
The services were set up in line with guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
Also pictured are Dr Sajjad Mahmood, consultant ophthalmologist, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Dr Nitin Jain, Bayer senior medical advisor, Kathy Cowell, chairman of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and Beryl Lockett, chair of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.