NHS Archives - Page 2 of 2

CHEC has announced the opening of a new treatment centre in Accrington, Lancashire. Amid rising NHS waiting lists, the centre will become an important channel for easing the backlog on elective eye care through its provision of high-quality ophthalmological treatment to the local community.

The Accrington site is the latest in a run of CHEC treatment centres recently launched across the North West, including sites in Preston and Blackpool. This North Westerly expansion – part of a broader rollout of new centres across the country – will offer vital help to those communities in Lancashire and South Cumbria which are experiencing particularly severe NHS backlogs.

Commenting on the new centre, Jon Dore said: “With NHS backlogs continuing to rise, the need to support the NHS in reducing wait times is clear. Our centre in Accrington will offer the NHS vital support in reducing these backlogs and ensuring that patients receive timely high-quality care.

“With patient experience at the heart of all we do, we look forward to providing vital ophthalmology and endoscopy services for the local Accrington community.”

Before patients begin to arrive at the centre in October, CHEC will host two CPD events to introduce the new site and showcase the support it will offer to the local community. One event will be held online and the other in-person. Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend a CPD seminar, enabling optometrists to gain valuable CPD points.

CHEC launches brand new endoscopy service to help ease growing NHS backlogs.

CHEC has launched a new endoscopy service as it expands beyond its renowned eyecare services. These will provide high-quality and efficient services to help ease NHS backlogs which are impacting nearly half a million patients.[1]

With endoscopy activity dropping by 90% since the onset of the pandemic, CHEC’s provision of endoscopy services will aid in easing this backlog and ensure patients receive the care they need.[2]

The endoscopy services debuted in Nottingham on April 14^th and since the launch, CHEC has been working closely with Nottingham University Hospital to deliver high-quality and efficient services.

CHEC’s endoscopy facilities utilise brand new state-of-the-art equipment including endoscopes, irrigation pumps, ColoAssist, CO2 insufflator systems and have on-site decontamination and sterilisation services to ensure IPC compliance.

Jon Dore, Chief Operating Officer at CHEC, commented on the opening saying: “The launch of our endoscopy services to people in Nottinghamshire is an exciting milestone for CHEC. We have worked hard to ensure that our patients will receive outstanding care, in keeping with the very high standards of care we provide to patients using our ophthalmology services.”

He added: “We are confident that we can make a huge difference in bringing our efficient, bespoke services to patients in need of diagnostic endoscopy services. We also plan to expand our endoscopy services across the country, so we can further support the NHS in tackling the backlog of patients who require these critical services.”

The launch of endoscopy services follows CHEC’s large-scale expansion of facilities, with new sites across the Midlands, Dorset, and Newcastle. The investment in new sites has enabled CHEC to support local communities across the country with vital healthcare services. Following CHEC’s successful launch of endoscopy services in Nottingham, it plans to expand to other locations in 2022.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/06/nhs-england-waiting-times-for-cancer-referral-and-treatment-at-record-high

[2] https://www.msn.com/en-gb?refurl=%2fen-gb%2fhealth%2fmedical%2fuk-could-have-thousands-of-extra-cancer-deaths-due-to-covid-delaying-500-000-endoscopies%2far-BB1eIUSa%3ffromMaestro%3dtrue

CHEC has announced the launch of a new centre in Gateshead Metrocentre. With 100,000 people currently waiting for treatment in Newcastle and Gateshead hospitals, the new centre will provide vital eye care services to help ease the regional backlog in the North East.

Commenting on the new centre, Jon Dore said: “The launch of our new Newcastle Gateshead site is a very exciting step in our ongoing aim to provide efficient and high-quality ophthalmology services across the country. Our local eyecare services will offer support in addressing the regional backlogs faced by Newcastle and Gateshead. And with some patients facing waiting times as long as two years for crucial services, our new centre will help ensure that patients receive the care they need.”

In the wake of the pandemic, ophthalmology is facing significant backlogs, with over half a million people currently waiting for ophthalmology services. The NHS cannot be left to deal with these backlogs alone, so CHEC’s new treatment centre in Gateshead will support the NHS in addressing these growing delays by providing eye care services for the local community.

To mark the upcoming opening of the new Newcastle Gateshead treatment centre, CHEC will be hosting a face-to-face CPD open evening on Tuesday 28^th June 7 pm-9 pm, where local optometrists will be introduced to the new site – register for your place today.

Attending optometrists will also have the opportunity to gain one CPD point by taking part in a highly anticipated CPD seminar discussing Global Perspectives on Glaucoma, which will be hosted by CHEC’s CEO and Consultant Ophthalmologist, Imran Rahman.

With the first patients expected in the Gateshead Metrocentre in early June, this new centre opening follows other recent openings and forms part of CHEC’s wider drive to deliver new centres across the country, as well as its continued ambition to support the NHS in reducing backlogs and providing patients with efficient and high-quality care.

This week, CHEC New Cross is celebrating one year since its first cataract surgery.

In the last 12 months, the hospital staff have treated an incredible 6,664 patients, providing a wide range of ophthalmic services:

Service	Patients
Cataract – Consultation	1651
Cataract – Operation	1463
Doctor Post Cat	266
Follow Up Consultation	805
GVC investigation	25
Initial Consultation	1204
Minor Op	74
OCT Assessment	398
VF Assessment	43
VF/OCT	592
YAG	143
Grand Total	6664

We are so proud of our hard-working team for making the first year a success.

The New Cross team had a fantastic time celebrating with patients.

Congratulations Samea and team New Cross, roll on the next 12 months!

CHEC has been announced as the winner of the ‘Most Engaging Stand’ at the recent 100% Optical event, for which it was the entrance sponsor. 100% Optical is the largest ophthalmology event in the UK and was hosted between the 23^rd and 25^th of April at London’s ExCeL Centre. The event was attended by over 4,000 optometrists, 1,000 practice owners and 2,000 dispensing opticians.

Commenting on the award win, Jon Dore, CHEC COO, said, “We are very excited to be the winners of the ‘most engaging stand’ award at such a respected and prestigious event for the ophthalmology industry, and the accolade is truly reflective of the level of innovation and ambition across CHEC. We are already looking forward to exhibiting again at 100% Optical 2023!”

CHEC’s highly innovative stand provided event attendees with the opportunity to conduct cataract surgery on a demonstration model in a dry lab, provided by Théa Pharmaceuticals. Imran Rahman, CHEC CEO, awarded an iPad to the best surgeon each day.

A competition winner said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of conducting cataract surgery at CHEC’s dry lab and would love to do it again. It was the best part about 100% Optical by a long shot, and I hope CHEC can exhibit again at next year’s event.”

Imran Rahman also hosted a CPD seminar entitled “Managing the COVID-19 backlog in ophthalmology”, where he explored the role of community-based approaches to healthcare in reducing NHS waiting lists, which have dramatically increased during the pandemic.

CHEC was joined on stage by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), a charity offering support and advice to two million people in the UK experiencing sight loss. CHEC recently partnered with RNIB to ensure Eye Care Liaison Officers are on hand at sites to provide tailored practical and emotional support to patients.

Overall, the event was a huge success for CHEC and we can’t wait to be back in 2023!

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.