Cataract care now being offered in South Tyneside

For the first time, the majority of patients awaiting a cataract operation, can now have their pre-operative care within South Tyneside.

It now means they no longer have to travel to Sunderland ahead of the procedure.

The move has been made possible after the team at the city’s Eye Infirmary worked with staff at South Tyneside to deliver outpatient clinics within the district hospital and Palmer Community Hospital in Jarrow.

Lynn Bates, Cataract Treatment Centre Deputy Manager, said: “By providing the same specialised care in South Tyneside that is currently available in Sunderland, we aim to have a positive impact on patients who will be seen at their local hospital, reducing travelling time and costs.”

Ken Bremner, Chief Executive of South Tyneside and City Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts, said: “We know just how important it is for local communities to have equitable access to a wide range of safe, high quality healthcare services, which offer the very best possible health outcomes. This is one of the core aims of the Healthcare Group.

“As we look ahead to the future and how our hospital and community teams can continue to work in partnership to share clinical expertise and resource, we remain absolutely committed to achieving this collective ambition for people living across South Tyneside and Sunderland.”

The new clinics are the latest development to emerge through the alliance between South Tyneside and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts.