A new eye department at Grantham and District Hospital is providing better access to treatment for Lincolnshire patients.
The newly refurbished department which was opened by the mayor of Grantham, is a major improvement and includes both full clinics and theatres. The department will now provide 16 – 18 clinics per week and three and a half theatre lists per week. This is a 100% increase in clinics and a 15% increase in theatre slots for those patients who require local ophthalmology for conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma. There will also be paediatric ophthalmology services.
Mr Mohit Gupta, consultant ophthalmologist said, “We will be able to do a lot more in this new unit than we could based in the outpatients department, as we have more space.
“This also means that the space we have left behind in outpatients can now be used by someone else.
“We are hoping to start doing general anaesthetics here at Grantham for eye operations. This means patients will not have to travel to Lincoln or Boston.”
Mr Gupta added, “We have employed more nurses, a consultant and a junior doctor as well as buying new equipment to be able to provide more services locally for patients.”
Before the unit was opened about 1,000 patients were travelling elsewhere in Lincolnshire for their appointments.
Dr Suneil Kapadia, medical director said, “This new unit is excellent news and it is nice to see it come into fruition. It’s really positive.”
Danielle Moore sister in ophthalmology said, “I will be travelling from the Royle Eye Department at Pilgrim Hospital to treat patients here at Grantham. I already treat patients from Grantham at Boston who have to travel and they are delighted that they can have their treatment closer to home.”