Patients 'devastated' over axe of vital NHS eye service in Coventry and Warwickshire

[dutchman]

A patient claimed she faces having to pay £150 in taxi fees to get to Birmingham hospital



Patients have been left 'devastated' as the axe has fallen on a vital NHS eye service in Coventry and Warwickshire. One of those impacted raised her concerns at a George Eliot Hospital and South Warwickshire Foundation Trust board meeting.

It follows a decision made by the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to axe the use of Specsavers to provide urgent and community eye care appointments for locals. The patient, called Julie, told the board: "This is devastating for people like myself with complex eye conditions. Getting an appointment at an emergency eye clinic at Coventry is almost impossible due to their triage system which is dysfunctional.

"The other option is to spend about £150 on a taxi fare to go to the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre in Birmingham and wait up to seven hours to be seen in urgent eye care. Whoever dreamed of this crazy idea of cutting the service, where you could get an appointment on the same day at Specsavers which is much easier to get to and have my eye checked out if there is a problem."

"Do they realise how much more congested the eye clinics they are going to be, and how much more difficult it will be for people to be seen in an emergency situation?," she added.

"I would like to know whoever thought it up and what is going to be done about it to reinstate it, Yes, you can still go to Specsavers for £25 in an emergency situation but some people do not have that kind of extra money." She went on to ask for the hospital board's views on the decision.

Adam Carson, the chief executive of the Eliot and SWFT, said: "We understand the concern absolutely but I think the first thing to say is that this is not our decision, it is not a decision we took and it is not our area of responsibility.

"The decision was taken by the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board and in that decision they decided not to renew contracts for minor eye conditions and community urgent eye services.. And the reason that they have stated is about the use of resources more effectively and ensuring that care is delivered where it is needed the most.

"They (the ICB) have also said that as part of that, urgent eye care is still available but some patients may be seen at their GP surgery or local pharmacy instead of the high street."

He said that medicines can be accessed over the counter or through a GP prescription and the eye casualty unit at University Hospital Coventry will remain the main centre for support.

"The ICB will monitor the impact of the change and they have a complaints process available." He added: "We will pass these comments onto the ICB, we absolutely understand them and understand the concern of Warwickshire residents but as I say, we are not part of that decision making process."

But Russell Hardy, chair of the board, was less diplomatic and said he could not understand the logic' behind the decision, adding: "I find it very difficult to understand how that decision has been made by the ICB which appears to be almost in the opposition direction to everything that is being talked about in the ten year plan for the NHS,

"Unfortunately it wasn't our decision, I can only advise that you email the chief executive or the new chairman at the ICB."

He concluded: "You do have our understanding as it does seem a very perverse decision."

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/patients-devastated-over-axe-vital-33033636