New service brings help closer to home for cataract sufferers in Bath

Cataract sufferers in Bath can now be assessed by an experienced ophthalmology professional closer to home before they have surgery, thanks to a new service offered by the eye health clinic Newmedica Bristol.

Thanks to the new service, patients will be able to access a local pre-operative assessment before making the journey to Bristol to have their surgery, saving them time and effort.

The service will be based at Specsavers Bath in Westgate Street, and will operate on alternate Sundays from 10.00am to 3.30pm.

William Sheehan, consultant ophthalmologist and clinical director at Newmedica Bristol, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to offer our patients in Bath and the surrounding area the added convenience of being able to be seen for their pre-operative assessment closer to home.

‘We know that getting around can be more complicated if you suffer from cataracts, especially if you rely on your car and are unable to drive, so we hope this new service will make attending an appointment more convenient for local people.’

The Bristol clinic, which operates out of Litfield House Medical Centre in Clifton Down, offers rapid access to treatment for patients referred by the NHS – and primary care providers like GPs and opticians can refer their patients to Newmedica Bristol quickly and easily.

All patients are typically seen within two weeks of their referral to the clinic, and their treatment carried out within four weeks of that initial appointment.

The clinic is led by consultant ophthalmologists William Sheehan and Jeremy Diamond alongside operational director Julian Phillips.

Newmedica are one of the leading independent sector providers of NHS funded ophthalmology services in England. They have a proven track record of working with the NHS, providing services for NHS CCGs, NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts, and other providers of NHS funded services.

Currently, they provide services for 22 NHS contracts, and deliver over 120,000 patient interactions annually in more than 28 locations across England. According to a recent patient survey (2018/19) 98% of patients are likely to recommend Newmedica to their friends and family.