Submitted by administrator on
Due to cost cutting exercises across the NHS, the decision was made to centralise all emergency eye care at one hospital in the Worcester region, the Kidderminster Treatment Centre. Unfortunately, the trial service has not had quite such cost lowering results for patients and users of the system, as many have found payment increases due to transport and other such issues.
Following an assessment by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, the decision was made to put all their optical eggs in one basket and move all emergency eye care to the Kidderminster site, relieving both the Alexandra Hospital and Worcestershire Royal of the service. Estimates suggested that each individual hospital did not have an enormous call for the specialist eye service and as such their efforts could be pooled into one pot, releasing up to £600,000 per year in locum fees alone. Recruitment issues had also led the NHS to consider this centralisation effort.
However, while saving the taxpayers money in one way, it seems the patients and users of the emergency eye service have had to take a hit to their pocket in other ways. Both the HOSC and LINk, have raised their own concerns about the new centralised service, and in deed both highlight the transport costs involved. From my own personal experiences with eye hospitals (having visited the Midland Eye Centre in Birmingham I can only sing the praises of arguably the most efficient, clean and friendly medical centre I have ever known or heard of) the one thing that they do, is take up most of your day. Not necessarily with waiting times and so on (although many can) but due to the fact that in many circumstances, your pupils are dilated with drops so that an ophthalmologist can investigate further. This process leaves you unable to drive or cycle until the effects have worn off and as such means that you would have to rely on friends or family to take you, or the use of public transport. In either case, costs are involved via tickets or parking fees.
One such visitor to the Kidderminster Treatment centre confirm a £22 fee had been paid to arrange transport for his visit, while others complained of high parking fees at £4.50 for a 2-4 hour stay, the standard waiting time to be expected. With traveling distances of up to 20 miles in some cases, the HOSC feel that something should be done about the new system which it feels isn't working for the patient, the most important factor to be considered.