MP praises “excellent” care at eye hospital delivering sight-saving treatment to Doncaster residents

MP praises “excellent” care at eye hospital delivering sight-saving treatment to Doncaster residents

• MP for Doncaster Central, Sally Jameson, visits SpaMedica eye hospital in Doncaster.
• Treatment makes “huge difference to quality of life and independence” for Doncaster patients, says Sally Jameson MP.
• Visit addresses concerns around introduction of minimum waiting times for cataract surgery

A state-of-the-art hospital specialising in NHS eye care services has been praised by Sally Jameson MP, Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central.

The MP visited SpaMedica’s Doncaster hospital, which is based at Loversall Court on Tickhill Road, to meet the team that has treated more than 4,000 NHS patients last year alone, helping to reduce waiting times and improve access to care for local people.

During the event, Sally Jameson MP discussed with clinicians the challenges facing NHS eye health services. This included the introduction of minimum waiting times for cataract patients, and the growing demand for sight-saving treatments for age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.

Ms Jameson commented: “It was a pleasure to visit SpaMedica’s Doncaster hospital and see the excellent NHS eye care being provided locally. Their ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating is a real achievement and testament to the dedication of staff and clinicians.

“I wish to thank the team for showing me around their facility and for the work they do to support the NHS with delivery of these vital services”

The high standard of care at SpaMedica Doncaster was reinforced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), England’s independent health and social care regulator, which rated it as ‘Outstanding’ following the most recent inspection.

It cited that ‘patients were overwhelmingly positive about how staff treated them’ and ‘100% of patients reported that their surgeon had a good bedside manner, was courteous and was friendly’.

This echoes a review by Doncaster patient Maureen Johnson, who described her visit to SpaMedica as “the very best experience – from start to finish I couldn’t thank the staff enough”.

Tom Fellows is Head of Policy at SpaMedica, and hosted Sally Jameson during her visit. He said: “It was fantastic to showcase the high quality, NHS-funded services we are delivering to Doncaster residents. Our ‘Outstanding’ CQC accreditation reflects the hard work and dedication of our teams in delivering exceptional outcomes and patient experience to the local community.

“It was also an important opportunity to address how the introduction of minimum waiting times presents real challenges for patients who are trying to access care as quickly as possible.

“Delays to cataract surgery can have serious consequences – patients risk losing their independence, are at greater risk of falls, and may experience wider health and wellbeing issues as a result of prolonged visual impairment.”

SpaMedica has offered to expand its services to help reduce local waiting lists, which remain significant across South Yorkshire.

Tom added: “We welcome the opportunity to engage constructively with local commissioners to find solutions that deliver the best value for the NHS without compromising patients’ timely access to sight-saving treatment.”

With 64 hospitals across the UK, SpaMedica has earned a reputation for excellence, with the Care Quality Commission, awarding every SpaMedica hospital it has inspected to date a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ rating.