Improvements to cardiology and ophthalmology services in East Sussex – including new cardiac response teams for both Hastings and Eastbourne to ensure people get the specialist care they need straight away, and one-stop ophthalmology clinics – are progressing.

The East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) Board considered summaries of the decision-making business cases (DMBCs) for both cardiology and ophthalmology at its meeting on 11 October, and subsequently endorsed the proposals.

Full DMBCs and all other supporting information will go to the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) on 2 November for its decision.  All the documents are now publicly available to read and specific documents can be downloaded at the cardiology and ophthalmology home pages.

The proposals, and the ICB decision, will then be reviewed by the East Sussex Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 15 December.

Ophthalmology

For ophthalmology, the proposal is to improve care by consolidating the services currently provided at Eastbourne District General Hospital, Bexhill Hospital and Conquest Hospital into two sites at Eastbourne District General Hospital and Bexhill Hospital.

This would enable patients to have quicker access to tests and treatment and more input from the most senior clinicians. It would also enable one-stop clinics, reducing the number of appointments patients need to attend.

Cardiology

For cardiology, the proposal is to improve care at both the Conquest Hospital, Hastings and Eastbourne District General Hospital (DGH) by creating new cardiac response teams at the front doors and in the emergency departments (EDs). This would ensure that people are assessed quicker, when they first come into the hospital, meaning they would start receiving specialist care straight away.

In addition, the proposal also includes concentrating the most highly specialised cardiac services, needed by just 3% of the cardiac patients our services see each year, at one or other hospital site.

Find out more about the proposals to improve cardiology and ophthalmology services in East Sussex.