Clinics
VERI collaborates with NHS Trusts and NHS England.
Our state-of-the-art equipment and consulting rooms have given us the opportunity to form very successful partnerships with healthcare providers in the region. These have reduced waiting times and allowed more timely management of patients.
1. Glaucoma referral refinement (shared care)
Working with Cambridge University Hospital Trust, we developed a shared care pathway in which trained optometrists with special interest in glaucoma delivered care to patients in VERI, under the supervision of glaucoma consultants at the NHS Trusts.
The partnership resulted in lower waiting times for over 6,500 patients in the NHS without any compromise to patient safety. The pathway was adopted by other NHS Trusts including Barnet and Islington.
2. Glaucoma outreach project (Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge)
COVID-19 has put unprecedented strains on hospitals. Working collaboratively and having successfully met all the stringent infection and quality controls, VERI is an established satellite clinic for Cambridge University NHS Trust.
This partnership has been very helpful to the NHS, who had to cancel scheduled clinics due to COVID-19, and has allowed further opportunities for research. It has led to faster and more timely management of over 5,000 patients with glaucoma.
Dr Stylianos Georgoulas, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Addenbrookes NHS Trust commented:
"COVID created challenges as well as new opportunities. During the pandemic the Addenbrookes glaucoma service created a strong collaboration with the Vision and Eye Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin.
"This collaboration led to increased capacity of the Addenbrookes glaucoma service by more than 5000 appointments in the last year, which significantly decreased the waiting time for glaucoma appointments at Addenbrookes. This has enabled faster management and treatment for patients."
James Fincham, Glaucoma Service Manager at Addenbrookes NHS Trusts, said:
"The pandemic has shown just how quickly large waiting lists can grow, but also what the NHS can achieve during challenging times. We have been very lucky to be able to build on our existing great working relationships with the Vision and Eye Research Institute.
"We have developed new pathways to allow our glaucoma patients to be seen faster and in a calmer environment than our hospital clinics.
"Working together has been invaluable in being able to reduce waiting times and provide our patients with the best care."
3. Community diabetic retinopathy clinics
Working with NHS England, VERI holds regular diabetic retinopathy screening clinics which have improved patient experience and helped identify people who are risk of diabetic related vision loss.
For glaucoma clinics, email [email protected]
For diabetic retinopathy clinics, email [email protected]