From left to right: Lee Stanley (Head of Service Development), Trudy (Patient) & Gemma Frost (NHS Partnership Executive)
Community eye care provider ACES has won approval from Chelmsford ICB to begin treating NHS eye care patients in Chelmsford.
Trudy, who avoided having to wait for treatment by receiving cataract surgery from ACES, described the care she received as “very good”, adding that she was looking forward to enjoying a cruise with clearer vision.
“I am already very happy with the improvement to vision in my right eye after the procedure. Once I was referred I didn’t have to wait long at all, only a few weeks. Getting treatment quickly means I’ll be able to take in all the sites when I go on holiday, so it was a relief to escape the months-long wait for treatment.
“I was so pleased with the care I received that I recommended it to my son, who’s now had treatment as well.”
Cataracts are cloudy patches that form on the natural lens of your eye. Over time these patches usually become bigger, causing blurry vision and if left untreated, can eventually lead to blindness. The condition largely affects older people, and the longer they go without treatment, the greater the risk of associated mental health issues, or of suffering a serious fall, which requires urgent and costly medical care. Statistics show that 1 in 3 adults over the age of 65 suffer a fall every year, rising to 1 in 2 over the age of 80[1].
Until now, NHS cataract patients in Chelmsford have often suffered severe delays for treatment. The approval of ACES marks a step towards reducing the backlog for cataract surgery, meaning patients in the city won’t have to wait as long to receive care. People who live in Chelmsford who have any concerns about their eyesight are encouraged to book a consultation with their optometrist or speak to their GP.
ACES typically treats the cataracts of NHS patients within four weeks, significantly reducing waiting times in the process. Giving patients the care they need in a timely manner helps to avoid further medical complications caused by poor eyesight, for example by reducing the risk of trips and falls. ACES expert surgeons will deliver the new NHS service from Optical Express’s state of the art clinic in Chelmsford.
Stephen Hannan, Clinical Services Director at Optical Express and ACES, said: “This partnership has been crucial in supporting NHS patients up and down the country to get the vision they need. Lengthy waiting lists for NHS cataract surgery represent one of the biggest problems facing the healthcare sector, and we’re very proud to be helping to reduce it. It’s vital that anyone who is concerned about their vision speaks to an optometrist, or their GP, to be referred to ACES.”
In addition to its new offer in Chelmsford, ACES has also won permission to begin treating NHS patients in many other Integrated Care Board (ICB) areas in England.
