COMMUNITY EYE-CLINIC IS OPENED

The venture has been launched at the Park House health centre in Carlton by the Nottingham East Consortium.

The consortium is a group of 22 GP practices working together to commission health services and includes all those in Hucknall.

The new clinic is run by eye specialists from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) and treats common complaints, such as watery eye or infrequent blurred vision. Emergency cases, such as glaucoma and cataracts, will still be referred to hospitals.

If the venture is a success, a similar service could be set up in Hucknall in order to make access to specialists even easier.

Dr Tony March, who is a GP in Netherfield and the clinical lead for the consortium, said: “We are very excited about opening up this local service, which will provide the skills of the hospital team much closer to where people live.

“We want to replicate the service in the Hucknall area in the near future and if the model works well, we will expand the range of eye conditions that can be safely referred to the local services.”

Anwar Zaman, consultant ophthalmologist and clinical director for head and neck at NUH, said: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work closely with our colleagues at Nottingham East Consortium to develop this community eye-clinic.

“We hope that this will be the first of many such collaborative ventures which are aimed at dramatically improving patient care.”

The Nottingham East Consortium is made up of GPs serving Hucknall, Arnold, Carlton, Gedling, Mapperley, Daybrook, Giltbrook, Netherfield, Burton Joyce, Lowdham, Colwick and Eastwood.

Any patient registered with practices that are part of the consortium can access the new eye clinic.

Deborah Jaines, of the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), said: “Local GPs are in a good position to assess the health needs of their communities and the PCT is keen to support them in setting up new services that are easier for patients to access.”