Primary care eye service for Wicklow
A PRIMARY care eye service will soon be provided from the Wicklow Primary Care Centre following recommendations made in April of last year by the Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report.
Community Healthcare East (formerly CHO6) is currently establishing the service in the Knockrobin centre, where activities carried out will include screening, assessment, surveillance, diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions in adults and children.
Confirming the news, Health Minister Simon Harris said: ‘ The vision for this new primary care eye care service is for a high quality, safe, effective and efficient service, meeting and responding to the changing needs of those of all ages in the community.
‘ The service should be accessible, timely and, as far as possible, be geographically convenient and staffed by a well-trained, dedicated, caring and competent workforce with good governance and accountability.’
Minister Harris said that there is currently no primary care based eye service available in the community and that this service is provided by the likes of the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, St Michael’s Hospital and St Columcille’s Hospital.
‘ There is an ophthalmology service for children-only in Wicklow. Clearly, this change would be a significant development for people in Wicklow and is in line with my plan to increase the services available through primary care in our communities,’ he said.
There will be an assessment centre at the Wicklow Primary Care Centre to provide a local service and referral pathways will be developed in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, St Michael’s Hospital and St Columcille’s Hospital.
Funding provided in 2017 enabled equipment to be purchased to support the setting up of the primary care eye service and to ensure that the service will be fully functioning straight away.