§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what consultation he has had with(a) ophthalmologists in Buckinghamshire, (b) the Buckinghamshire Association for the Blind, (c) primary care trusts in Buckinghamshire and (d) the Buckinghamshire hospitals NHS Trust about his plans for a diagnostic and treatment centre for ophthalmology in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire; [130808]
(2) what assessment he has made of the impact on ophthalmology services at Stoke Mandeville hospital of his plans for a diagnostic and treatment centre for ophthalmology in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire; [130809]
(3) what arrangements he is proposing for managing (a) operative and (b) post-operative complications at the planned diagnostic and treatment centre for ophthalmology for Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire; [130810]
(4) what representations he has received from local doctors about the accuracy of the information on the demands for cataract surgery on which he has based his plans for a diagnostic and treatment centre for ophthalmology in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. [130870]
§ Mr. Hutton [holding answers 18 September 2003]Local primary care trusts (PCTs) have met with ophthalmologists and they have been actively involved in refining the proposal for a treatment centre for cataract surgery in Buckinghamshire and will continue to be involved in further developing the plans. Buckinghamshire hospitals trust has also been involved and will continue to be. Links are also being developed with local groups including patient support groups and the PCTs will be looking to work with them as the treatment centre plans progress.
Treatment centres in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire will provide more choice for patients and provide services closer to home. Existing local services are held in high regard and an important outcome for local hospitals will be the opportunity of developing further their specialist service and chronic disease management. Clinicians and managers at Buckinghamshire hospitals trusts are involved in these discussions.
Discussions have taken place with Stoke Mandeville hospital to ensure that the viability and quality of the current service will not be adversely affected.
The treatment centre will offer additional opportunities for care of patients by increasing capacity and bringing down wait times and are a service enhancement to the PCT population.
344WTreatment centres will be expected to be able to deal with typical surgical problems to at least the same standard as national health service providers. Local trusts, PCTs and new providers will agree protocols for referring and transferring patients who require emergency or urgent care that cannot be provided by the treatment centres.
In autumn 2002, the NHS undertook a national capacity planning process led by local NHS commissioners. This identified a range of capacity gaps that needed to be met for the NHS to meet the waiting time target set for 2005. Where the NHS was not able to demonstrate robust plans to meet this demand the residual activity was included in the independent sector treatment centre programme.
Advice and guidance has been made available to local NHS sponsors who are responsible for running an appropriate consultation with the patients and staff. I have been assured by the Thames Valley Strategic health authority that the treatment centre offers the opportunity to reduce waiting lists for cataract surgery further, with all the benefits that cataract surgery brings to the quality of life for older people. It also creates capacity in the ophthalmology departments of local trusts to enable more complex eye surgery to be carried out.
The details of the scheme, together with a wider review of ophthalmology services generally, will be worked out locally with clinicians and other stakeholders. The specific issues raised in these questions will be managed locally as the NHS makes these new units a success.
Letters have been received at the SHA from ophthalmologists in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire outlining local concerns. These have been addressed in meetings with clinicians and managers.