In a major digital health move, NHS England has announced how they can avoid more than 100,000 unnecessary hospital appointments a year.
NHSE is set to provide advanced eye scans closer to home for tens of thousands of patients with diabetes which will help prevent sight loss.
Approximately 60,000 people are set to benefit from optical coherence tomography scans in places such as:
- Large GP surgeries
- Community hospitals
- Mobile vans
Inequality
OCT technology is expected to benefit all eye care services by next October – this compares to under a third of services previously offering the scan.
Ophthalmology is one of the busiest specialties in all of secondary care, with it making up nearly a tenth (8%) of the entire waiting list. It is hoped that 120,000 ophthalmology appointments can be saved.
Small change, big difference
“This is a great example of a small change that can make a big difference, giving diabetes patients more reassurance and freeing up thousands of hospital appointments,” said Stephen Kinnock, the care minister.
He added: “Through our 10 Year Health Plan, we will shift care out of hospitals and into the community, easing pressure on our A&Es and enabling patients to get help closer to home. These fundamental reforms mean we will build an NHS that is fit for the future and delivering for all patients.”
Steve Russell, NHSE’s national director for vaccinations and screening, commented: “It’s fantastic news that these advanced eye scans will be available closer to home for thousands of people with diabetes across the country.
“This technology will help us find and treat diabetic eye conditions early, helping minimise and prevent sight loss, and it also means that thousands of appointments in traditional hospital settings could be saved, which is great news for the NHS.”
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