Support our EYE care appeal
Help us raise £5,000 to improve emergency eye treatment
We are seeking your donations to raise £5,000 to buy new eye testing equipment which will improve ‘on the spot care’ for patients with eye problems attending the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Lymington Hospital. A Tonometer detects changes in eye pressure and a Slit Lamp checks for eye injury, disease and abnormalities.
The UTC is run by Partnering Health Limited (PHL) on behalf of the NHS and is a GP led team of experienced nurse practitioners, specialist paramedics and experienced healthcare support workers. The UTC operates from 8am to 9pm seven days a week, all year. The team assess, treat, and refer patients with a wide range of minor injuries and illnesses.
The Service Manager, Mandy Hawkins, explains:
“We see over 900 patients a year with eye problems and currently need to refer most of them on to Southampton A&E or Eye Hospital for detailed assessment and treatment as we don’t have the equipment for emergency eye treatment.
With this new equipment, our trained staff will be able to perform a diagnosis and provide treatment for minor eye injuries and complaints ‘on the spot’ for 600 patients, with the remainder attending Southampton for further investigation and treatment.
This will be a major improvement in the service we can offer to local people, providing more efficient care and saving the need for them to travel to Southampton. It will also benefit the many visitors we see with eye problems in the holiday periods.”
Mike Hodges (Joint Chair and Trustee, Lymington Hospital Friends) added:
“The Friends value the support we get from community donations and fundraising to help the hospital buy additional equipment to improve patient care.
Please help us to raise £5,000 for this vital new equipment to improve the hospital’s walk-in eye care service.”
