News Archives - Page 12 of 13

The pandemic has forced industries and businesses to rapidly adapt and none more so than the healthcare sector. With the NHS facing unprecedented pressures, there has been a need to rapidly digitise our healthcare system.

In fact, as patients prepared themselves for this shift online, the NHS App was downloaded nearly half a million times when NHS Digital initially launched its response to Covid-19. Whilst this digitalisation has offered many benefits, it also risks leaving the most vulnerable members of our community behind. With many people finding digital healthcare inaccessible, patients have put off seeking vital treatment. For example, as a result of the pandemic, one in five adults are now less likely to get an eye test leaving them at risk of untreated conditions. With the NHS already facing record backlogs, it is essential we support the NHS in offering the in-person and tailored care that patients need to seek treatment. Community-based treatment centres can provide a solution by ensuring patients have access to personalised and local care.

Bridging the digital gap

The pandemic has necessitated a shift online for several routine healthcare services. Many patients have welcomed this digitalisation with almost 28 million people in England registering an NHS login by October 2021. Clearly, for many patients, this shift online is a positive to which they have adapted and welcomed for the ease it can offer. However, for many people in the UK, this digitalisation is leaving them behind.

Considering 11.9 million people in the UK do not have the digital skills necessary for everyday life, this shift online could be leaving 22% of our population putting off seeking medical help. In addition, it is typically the most vulnerable members of our society who are left without access to the internet. With 150,000 residential properties in the UK falling below what is judged to be a “decent” level of internet coverage, many people are left facing digital poverty without the skills or means to get online. Community-based services can bridge the gap across this digital divide. The increased capacity of community-based services often enables the delivery of both online and traditional access to healthcare, this can support the NHS in offering patients both the benefits of digitalisation and the accessibility of in-person care.

Personalising care

Another aspect of this shift online is a reduction in face-to-face appointments. Initial NHS England guidance advised GP practices to utilise an online or telephone triage system rather which has resulted in reduced face-to-face appointments. In December alone, only 61% of GP consultations took place in person in comparison to 80% before the pandemic.

While this digitalisation of healthcare has offered many benefits for some patients, for others, this reduction in face-to-face appointments has left their care lacking in personalisation. Community-based services offer healthcare in a local setting where patients can be seen in person. In addition, community-based services that offer end-to-end care ensure patients are seen by a familiar practitioner who is well-versed in their needs. In fact, 97% of CHEC’s post-cataract surgery patients receive treatment in community settings. This in-person care with a familiar practitioner ensures patients receive care that is truly tailored to their needs.

Delivering better outcomes

In addition to providing increased accessibility to patients, community-based services are vital in supporting the NHS. The NHS currently faces unprecedented backlogs of almost six million patients as a result of the pandemic. The increased capacity of community-based services enables them to support the NHS by helping to tackle these waitlists. As a result, community-based services support the NHS while also ensuring patients are provided with accessible healthcare – delivering better outcomes for both.

Imran Rahman, CEO & Consultant Ophthalmologist, CHEC

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Recent news that more than one in six NHS trusts across England has declared critical incidents has signalled that priority services are coming under further pressure, once again placing the spotlight on NHS waiting lists and the strain of backlogs on key services.

Those waiting lists are now longer than ever before, while at the same time people show a reluctance to add to the workload of over-worked staff in hospitals and clinics with health issues perceived – sometimes wrongly – to be minor. There’s clearly a need to find ways to release pressure from the system and improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people.

Just prior to the emergence of Omicron late last year, the impact of Covid-19 had already pushed up the total NHS waiting list to a record six million, with over two million of those waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment. Among these patients were over one million in need of ophthalmology treatment. That figure is higher now, but it stems from a situation that could be alleviated using infrastructure that is already in place in our local communities.

Progression adds urgency

The NHS actually recommends an 18-week maximum wait for cataract surgery but, due to the pandemic, that has now grown to an average of nine months.

The challenge for the NHS is how to reduce, if not clear, that backlog of treatments and operations against the backdrop of the pandemic, which raises the risks for vulnerable older patients in hospitals. The urgency seemingly increases by the day.

Lengthy waiting lists and delayed operations can have a profound impact, whatever the condition, and that’s the case too with cataracts, which are progressive over time. Therefore, the longer the wait, the worse the condition and the harder it is to correct. It’s not just waiting lists, it’s the waiting time in the hospital before being treated. In December, the number of patients waiting over 12 hours in corridor trolley beds for admission increased to a record-high 10,646, up 51% from October.

A study of the average waiting time between referral and cataract surgery at 12 NHS trusts around London was found to be 204 days in 2020. This rose to 278 days in 2021, up 36%. Those confronted with those delays faced a significant deterioration in their quality of life, such as being no longer able to drive, more susceptible to falls and possibly being unable to read.

By comparison, the average NHS waiting time nationally for all procedures carried out during the first half of 2021 was 10 weeks, with the waiting time for ophthalmology-specific procedures at 11 weeks. The problem for those needing cataract surgery is that it’s a procedure that is of relatively low clinical priority, meaning it tends to get pushed back when more urgent cases arise.

With or without the pandemic, the UK’s ageing population means waiting lists for cataract operations and treatment for other eye conditions will grow.

Shared model solution

One way to bring down the pressure on the NHS in the field of eye care is, in some ways, so obvious it goes unnoticed. It lies in expanding a practice already in place and working well. The NHS already adopts a shared partnership model approach with community-based services where they exist. They offer proximity to local communities, along with specialist expertise, without the Covid-related health risks that may be associated with larger hospitals.

Offering high-quality care right in the centre of communities also provides a tailored patient experience while reducing the burden on the NHS. In addition, a focus on end-to-end care can mean patients do not have to see multiple providers. This means community-based care can offer patients a care experience tailored to their needs.

It’s worth remembering that a cataract can be fixed with a simple 10-minute operation using anaesthesia eye drops that make it a day-case procedure. So, there is simply no need to go to a hospital.

Community-based services are very helpful for dealing with these common eye conditions, generally delivered by a community optometrist. Here, the management is usually maintained within the primary care setting for as many patients as is safely possible, avoiding unnecessary referrals to hospitals.

The clinics can also undertake minor operations, besides cataracts, such as the removal of cysts on or around the eye. They can also deal with skin cancer on the eyelid, which can be very time-sensitive. In general, a malignant lesion grows more rapidly than a benign one. Where melanomas or squamous cell carcinomas are suspected, it’s important that patients are referred to a specialist urgently using the two-week wait referral system and get treated within 31 days.

The way forward

Community-based services can offer patients an improved experience while also supporting the NHS. The increased capacity of these services enables patients to receive high-quality care as quickly as possible. As a result, the burden placed on the NHS is relieved and patients receive a better outcome; that’s the ultimate objective of all healthcare.

Despite the government’s multi-billion-pound investment, the NHS is still set to face a backlog of 10 million patients by 2024. The shared care partnership model is already used and proven to be effective. It should now be expanded to help and support the NHS in tackling its treatment backlog.

Imran Rahman is CEO and a consultant ophthalmologist at CHEC.

Today we welcomed our 1000^th to our Preston Cataract and Surgical Centre in a milestone day for CHEC.

The lovely patient, Sylvia from Leyland, was referred to the centre to have her second cataract surgery.

“This is such a lovely surprise, and it has really made my day” said Sylvia on being welcomed to her surgery with flowers, gifts, balloons, and a certificate to commemorate the occasion. Sylvia continued, “this is my second eye with CHEC and the results from the first one were super, so I’m looking forward to going back to the opticians for a new prescription hopefully!”

The surgeon that completed the operation for Sylvia was Consultant Ophthalmologist, Nick Hickley, who also happened to complete our first surgery back in February, which added a nice symmetry to the occasion.

Huge congratulations to Antonia Standaloft and all the team at Preston for their superb work! We’re sure they are looking forward to welcoming the next 1000 patients to the hospital.

Transportation and getting to appointments can be an issue for some patients. To help with this, Community Eyecare has invested in a fleet of mini-buses and employed friendly local drivers who will help if you are in need.

Our drivers are specifically recruited to have a friendly, calm, and reassuring manner which ensures the safety and security of our patients.

Drivers have the depth of knowledge, experience, and training to be well equipped to deal with our patients’ requirements.

Our vehicles are thoroughly cleaned between each trip, and we keep up with all COVID-19 safety regulations. This includes:

Sanitising all interior and exterior touchpoints between each patient journey
Supplying alcohol gel for both patient and driver use
Drivers will open and close doors to limit the surfaces patients touch
Drivers also wear medical-grade masks for additional assurance
All your fellow patients will be asked to wear a face-covering for your safety.

As much as our drivers are often invited for a ‘brew’ after the service, we ask that they do not enter patient homes to ensure patient and driver safety.

We always practice safe driving techniques, so you will always feel safe and secure in the comfort of our fully air-conditioned minibuses. All our drivers are CRB checked and have their licenses checked prior to starting with us and any updates must be reported. Our fleet is fully insured and has breakdown cover so if the worst happens, you won’t be stuck for long!

One of our longest-serving drivers, Mohammed, said; “Having the capability to help provide a service to our patients from their home, through our doors at Community Eyecare, for their surgery, to then return them into the safety of their home gives us as employees enormous satisfaction.”

Most patients find the experience of being transported to one of our centres a fun one!

One of our recent patients, Jean, who attended our Preston centre recently said, “I wouldn’t have been able to make it to my surgery without this service. I was a bit worried because I’ve been shielding for a long time now, but I couldn’t have felt more safe and secure. It actually gave me a real boost talking to the driver who was a lovely chap”.

Chief Executive Officer Imran Rahman has outlined the importance of the initiative to the wider community, “Giving back to the community is something very important to us all at Community Eyecare, so if our transportation service can help even one patient to ultimately have better eyesight sooner, it is worth the significant investment we have made.”

For more information about our home-to-hospital service, don’t hesitate to give us a call on our patient helpline: 0330 100 4730.

At Community Eyecare, we have always been committed to the learning and development of our staff, as well as providing continued educational training to support optometrists across the country.

As many Optometrists will know, for a number of years we have regularly held engagement events- aimed at keeping all of our partners informed about our business activities, including any updates to the services we are currently providing or news about new sites that we have developed. These events are also an opportunity to engage with our Optometrists for continuous educational training (CET).

These events have always been highly successful, initially beginning with in-person events and now in their current form as online webinars. Our events receive a lot of positive feedback from optometrists and are the perfect way to accommodate the high number of optometrists wishing to attend.

To follow up on this, we have now taken this a step further and have developed a brand-new learning management system, called “CHEC Learning”, which we are excited to be launching as of today! The platform allows easy access to our learning resources with the ability for optometrists to increase their industry knowledge and gain CET points. It will also complement any additional online webinars we run throughout the year.

Why wait? you can enrol now as one of our students! To enrol now with CHEC Learning, visit: https://moodle.communityhealthservices.co.uk/.

Continuing on our journey to remain one of the largest specialist providers of community-based ophthalmology services in the UK, we are delighted to announce our newest Slough Cataract and Surgical Centre shall be opening next month!

A convenient location just 5 minutes from Junction 6 of the M4, our newest centre can be easily reached from all surrounding areas. The address of our new centre is: Community Eyecare Cataract & Surgical Centre, 10 Windsor Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 2EJ.

The vast range of ophthalmology and optometry services on offer at our new site include cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment, pre-cataract assessments, post-operative cataract assessments and many more.

This site shall further support our NHS as we have built a strong reputation of quality, responsive and considerate patient focused care with 97% patient satisfaction and short waiting times of 1-2 weeks, depending on the condition being treated.

To celebrate the launch, we would like to invite you to one of our CET Webinar events via Microsoft Teams. The event shall take place on Tuesday the 27th April 2021 at 7:00pm, running until approximately 8:00pm.

The topic of the CET training will be ‘Post-Operative Cataract Management’ and attendance of the event will achieve 1 CET Point.  Please click here to register no later than Tuesday 20th April and we will then send you an invite to attend the webinar on the day. 

For further information regarding the Surgical Centre in Slough or the CET webinar event, please contact our Engagement team on engagement@chec.uk.

At Community Eyecare, we love hearing from our patients about the outcome of their procedures and the difference that it has made to their lives-as well as how the kindness of our staff has helped to put them at ease. This is the perfect reminder of why we do what we do.

One of our consultants, Dr CT Pillai, recently shared some feedback that he had received from an 81-year-old healthy, active patient he recently treated:

I saw an 81-year-old lady accompanied by her daughter at our medical centre. She has cancer in her left eye and gave me a clear history of seeing a red coloured shadow in it. I was shocked and shaken by her story of how she has received multiple cancer diagnoses over the years and had now received another. I was genuinely touched by her brave attitude. What touched me the most was that in spite of life being unfair to her, she has never once complained and instead continued to approach every day of her life positively.

Apart from being a doctor, sometimes one must behave like a fellow human being- and that is what I think I did by spending some time with her and her Daughter. After seeing the patient, she contacted CHEC and said:

“I am extremely thankful for the kindness the consultant showed. I feel that if it had it not been for him, I would have been overwhelmed by the outcome. Instead, I was able to stay calm and I am sure that your consultant was the reason.”

We would like to thank each and every one of our patients who continue to take the time out of their days to share their experiences with us. If you would like to leave us a review and share your thoughts on our service, visit Leave a review – Community Health And Eyecare Limited – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Last September, Community Eyecare spent some time working with AquAid Water Coolers on an initiative that involved building a water pump or “Elephant Pump” that would help to provide fresh, clean drinking water to communities across Africa.

Having a pump on site would reduce the need for households having to walk an average of 7 miles every day just to retrieve water. This job usually falls to women and children in the community, with water often being gathered from contaminated sources.

Yesterday, we received the news that our very own Community Eyecare Water Pump had been successfully built and installed by volunteers of The Africa Trust with assistance from local villagers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, proudly displaying our company name alongside the message “Fill your cups with water and your heart with love”.

Our pump has been built using locally sourced, readily available materials to extend its lifespan and allow locals to easily make repairs to it, should they be needed. The pump also has the capability of producing up to 10,000 litres of potable water per day to upwards of 300 people within the community. Now, families in Manicaland will no longer have to travel 7 miles to collect water as they are now able to utilise the pump to collect clean drinking water or water for productive uses, such as cooking and washing, every single day.

Thank you AquAid for partnering with us on this, we are so proud to have had the opportunity to be involved with such a great cause.

One of the most effective ways to end the cycle of poverty is to empower a community to care for itself. Part of this sustainable development includes providing access to clean productive water and decent sanitation. Thanks to your support, we have helped the Africa Trust build more than 5,000 water pumps, also known as Elephant Pumps, in communities across Africa, bringing life-giving water to thousands of people every day. – AquaAid