NHS patients in Wilmslow will be able to access private health providers of eye services in the town.
NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which buys and plans much of the area’s healthcare services, has appointed three new providers of elective ophthalmology services.
The three-year contracts Optegra, HCA The Wilmslow Hospital at 52 Alderley Road and Community Health and Eye Care Ltd, which is based at Kenmore Medical Centre. The three will now provide non-emergency ophthalmology services in Eastern Cheshire.
Although the providers are from the private sector, they will provide care and be subject to NHS contracts.
The move comes in response to an NHS England ‘call to action’ to improve eye health and reduce sight loss, as many long term conditions, such as diabetes and dementia, pose a significant risk to eye health.
The new appointments will also relieve pressure on the area’s existing ophthalmology providers and create additional capacity for an increasingly in-demand service.
NHS Eastern Cheshire CCG’s director of commissioning, Neil Evans, said: “All of our healthcare providers have to meet our stringent quality standards and show us that they are delivering against them."
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