By Gillian Ellison

Last updated at 16:16, Wednesday, 03 February 2010

PLANS to shake-up hospital eye services have this week been agreed by health bosses.

It will mean more cataract operations at West Cumberland Hospital and the introduction of a new service – but the loss of eye surgery requiring general anaesthetic.

Health chiefs say it will enable about 150 extra cataract operations a year and patients with age-related macular degeneration will be treated in Whitehaven rather than having to travel to Newcastle. Some frail and elderly patients are said to have to travel to Newcastle for such treatment up to 12 times.

However the new way of working – which will see the Cumberland Infirmary as the main ‘hub’ for ophthalmology – will mean around 30 patients a year from West Cumbria will have to travel to the Carlisle hospital for eye surgery requiring general anaesthetic. Such procedures – including severe eye trauma or complicated surgery on young infants – will no longer be carried out at the West Cumberland Hospital.

The Save Our Services (SOS) group, which challenged the move, says the Trust has failed to address concerns about the “ever-increasing centralisation of clinical service at the Cumberland Infirmary”.

John Bannister, SOS spokesman, said: “The long held view of the Trust that it is quite acceptable for patients to travel to Carlisle from West Cumbria but not the other way round appears to continue to be the prevailing view of the current Trust management team and board. The removal from West Cumberland Hospital to the Cumberland Infirmary of all ophthalmology surgery which requires general anaesthetic is a clear breach of the hard-fought agreement reached between SOS on behalf of the community.”

But eye surgeon and clinical director, Gerard Ainsworth, told the board of North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust on Tuesday that the new system – which will bring together the two hospitals’ eye departments – has many benefits. He said they include reducing waiting times for patients, using resources more effectively and efficiently and freeing up anaesthetists at West Cumberland Hospital.

He said the Cumberland Infirmary was the ‘hub’ of the new system because it had to be the area which was seeing the most emergency and out-of-hours patients, that the majority of the patients in North Cumbria are centred around that area and it also needed to be where other services were readily available such as radiology and microbiology. A uniform procedure for cataract operations across both hospital sites is also being proposed.

With less money coming to the Trust nationally, Mr Ainsworth said they wanted to be able to provide the best quality care and still deliver cost improvements. The board heard that the eye department was currently one of the most costly to run and that this new way would be more cost effective and the extra cataract cases would bring “substantial financial benefit”.

Trust vice chairman Michael Bonner said: “Anaesthetists on this site (West Cumberland) are a very scarce and precious resource and this is freeing them up. Some of our most vulnerable people are going to be significantly better serviced by this proposal.”

Kevin Clarkson, Trust deputy chief executive, said far more patients would be able to be seen in West Cumbria and it was a very small number of patients who require a specialist service under general anaesthetic who would be required to travel for treatment.

But Mr Bannister, Rector of Whitehaven, said after the meeting: “Whilst the Trust may defend this cut by claiming that it affects only a small percentage of patients, the public should be aware that this small percentage consists of the most vulnerable group of patients including children, confused elderly, people with mental ill health and learning disabilities.

“Underpinning this is the real concern about the reduction of opportunities for clinicians at West Cumberland Hospital to maintain and further develop a good level of clinical skills.”

Mr Bannister said since the public march through Whitehaven town centre in 2006 the SOS group had vowed to continue fighting for the hospital.

“I have been clear that we will not allow the building of this new hospital to become a smoke screen for any further reduction of services. SOS remain fully committed to doing all we can to keep faith with the trust placed in us by the community of West Cumbria.”

Whitehaven-based Dr David Rogers said the changes would improve ophthalmology services for people and that the vast majority of eye services would remain.

The lead GP for Copeland, added: “As part of the drive to provide more services closer to where people live, this repatriation of Age-related Macular Degeneration services will be a big boost to local services and patients.”

First published at 15:46, Wednesday, 03 February 2010
Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk