Eye care transformation
The Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Eye Health Needs Assessment (EHNA 2019) highlights extensive growth in the prevalence of cataract, glaucoma, and age related macula degeneration (AMD) due to an ageing population, with a projected rise in AMD and cataract of over 55% between 2016-2030.
There is a need to find system-wide solutions capable of meeting current and increasing demand for eye care services.
This is a clinically-led and locally owned programme of work, shaped by the needs and experiences of people and communities, who have been involved throughout the development of the programme.
What do we want to achieve with this work?
The programme aims to provide timely, safe, effective, and sustainable integrated eye care services at the right time, in the right place, by the right person with excellent patient experience.
There are a number of reasons why we need to change the way we currently provide eye care. We need to:
- Anticipate the increasing need for services
- Reduce unnecessary face to face outpatient appointments
- Ensure early detection and prevention
- Provide more joined up services across primary, secondary and community care
- Provide more services closer to home, when it’s needed
- Make better use of new technologies and developments in eye care
- Make better use of data and tracking people’s care
How will we do this?
- Reduce unnecessary face to face outpatient eye care appointments in the hospital
- Reduce the number of overdue follow ups
- Increase the use of one-stop clinics
- Increase the availability of some eye care services in people’s local communities
- Increase the use of advice & guidance between GPs, optometrists and consultants
- Introduce patient led follow up where appropriate
- Increase the use of remote and virtual monitoring and consultations where appropriate
- Support the recovery of waiting lists post Covid-19
- Improve access to support for people diagnosed with sight loss
- Achieve optimal and consistent patient safety
- Improve experience and outcomes of eye care and eye health for the people of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
- Improved experience for staff in services
The three year programme is made up of the following phases:
Phase 1: Integrated referrals, pathways and processes
Phase 2: Outpatient eye care and new ways of providing care and appointments
Phase 3: Multi-specialty pathways where eye care forms a big part, but involves other medical specialties.
What has been done so far?
The programme has brought together service providers, referrers, and patients, to redesign joined-up eye care pathways. Those involved include:
- Secondary care ophthalmology
- Independent sector providers
- Optometry
- Primary care
- Local authority
- Voluntary sector
- Patients and public
- Progress updates will provided throughout the lifetime of the programme.