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NHS North and North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Groups are improving ophthalmology (eye) services and would like to hear views from the public to help us shape the way care will be delivered in the future.

The number of people who need eye services is expected to increase sharply over the next 15 years. For example, we expect the number of people with glaucoma, cataract and age-related macular problems to increase by approximately 50%. This pressure is already being felt within local services and we know that too many patients are waiting longer than we would want for eye treatment and follow-up appointments.

We plan to launch a new NHS community ophthalmology service in September 2018 and are currently writing a new service specification (a document which sets out exactly what we want the service to deliver and what it should include) that will be informed by what patients, carers, staff and members of the public tells us is important to them.

While we would like to hear from people who have recent experience of eye services, healthcare is important to everyone and we also welcome the views of people who may not have attended eye clinics or had treatment.

We will use this information to help us design more streamlined services and reduce the amount of hospital based appointments. Most eye care will be delivered in the community with patients only going to hospital when they need to for inpatient surgery or cancer care for example.

We will also be looking at how eye services are provided when people do need to go onto a ward for treatment, to enable a safe, high quality hospital service to continue to be provided within the available funding for North and North East Lincolnshire patients into the future.

We are holding three focus groups for patients and former patients and their carers:

• Weds Nov 1, 10am-12 noon, Meeting Room 1, Centre 4, Wootton Road, Grimsby, DN33 1HE
• Tues Nov 14, 1pm-4pm, Heslam Park Club, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 2AG
• Tues Nov 28, 9.30am to 11.30am, Seminar Room, Freeman Street Market, Grimsby, DN32 7DS

There is also an online survey which you can complete by visiting your local CCG website.

North Lincolnshire:

http://www.northlincolnshireccg.nhs.uk/surveys/eyecare/

North East Lincolnshire:

http://www.northeastlincolnshireccg.nhs.uk/current-opportunities-tohave-your-say/eyecare/

If you would like to attend one of the focus groups or if you would like this explaining to you over the phone or have any comments or concerns you would like to talk to us about, please ring 0300 3000 567.