The Trust’s Ophthalmology outpatient service is moving from Rotherham Hospital to the Rotherham Community Health
Centre (RCHC).
From October 26, all
outpatient appointments will be delivered at RCHC – the only exception being
emergency treatment, which will still be carried out at the Urgent and
Emergency Care Centre at Rotherham Hospital.
The move, which was due to
happen earlier this year, was delayed because of Covid-19, but now, work has
been given the go-ahead and the centre will be ready to receive patients in the newly refurbished location from October 26.
RCHC, on Greasbrough Road,
is easily accessible from Rotherham town centre, helping patients to get to
their appointments without difficulty and there is plenty of parking available
on site and alternative parking in the wider area.
The move will provide more space for the
Ophthalmology Department to deliver future growth and will ensure continued development of
staff from a centralised area in Rotherham.
Those with upcoming appointments
will receive information about the move in their letters. See below for a map
highlighting the location.

What is Ophthalmology?
Ophthalmology is the treatment of
eye diseases, injuries and surgical procedures. We are proud of the services we offer
and our aim is to provide the best possible care and treatment for all
patients referred to our services. The team consists of six consultants,
one associate specialist and four staff grade members, who are supported by highly-skilled
nursing staff, an eye clinic liaison officer, an orthoptist and medical photography
team.
What sort of work do we do?
The main surgical work undertaken is cataract operations. However, glaucoma surgery, laser surgery, squint surgery, corneal grafts, oculoplastic surgery and minor operations are also carried out. The success rates of cataract surgery undertaken at the Trust are higher than the national rates and the complication rates of surgery are a lot less than the national ones. We are a modern department with state-of-the-art surgical equipment.
Ophthalmology clinics
Many patients are referred by their GP, but some are referred by their optician. We operate a one-stop-clinic where you will be seen and assessed and if surgery is needed you'll get a date for this at your first clinic visit. More than 90 per cent of our surgery is carried out under local anaesthetic as day surgery cases.
Eye Clinic Liaison Officer
Our Eye Clinic Liaison Officer
(ECLO), Michelle Swann, is funded by a partnership between The Rotherham NHS
Foundation Trust and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Michelle provides
support to Rotherham’s Ophthalmology patients as well as to other patients
living with sight loss. Located in the eye clinic, the ECLO provides emotional support,
advice and information to those experiencing sight problems at what can be a
difficult time for the visually impaired person, family members and carers. Issues
covered include information and advice about the registration process,
emotional support, advice on living with sight loss and maintaining
independence.
Martin Byrne, Eye Clinic
Liaison Officer, RNIB
martin.byrne@rnib.org.uk
Telephone: 07710705892
For more information on RNIB’s Sight
Loss Advice Service visit www.rnib.org.uk/advice.