Hospital to get £4m eye theatre suite

MUSGROVE Park Hospital in Taunton is planning to open a new £4.4 million ophthalmic theatre suite.

This means that residents across Somerset will benefit from improved access to eye care.

If the plans are approved, it means that consultant eye surgeons at the hospital will be able to perform more operations every week and ensure people have their health needs met.

The development is subject to planning permission that is due to be considered by Somerset West and Taunton Council at its planning meeting in early summer.

The new suite is in addition to Musgrove 2030 plan, which has already seen some progress get underway, including final approval for an £87m surgical centre.

Ed Herbert, a consultant ophthalmologist at Somerset

NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to improve the service we can offer.

“The eye unit is the busiest department at Musgrove Park Hospital, carrying out over 3,000 operations every year and providing nearly 50,000 outpatient appointments.

“Historically there has always been a greater demand for surgery than we can meet, leading to long waiting times.

“With new social distancing requirements in place, as well as reduced theatre availability, our ophthalmology patients have inevitably needed to wait longer than we’d wish for a procedure.

“These new facilities will give greater capacity with the aim of reducing waiting times.”