Ophthalmology - Welcome to Eye Outpatient Clinic - Information for new patients

This information is designed to make your forthcoming outpatient appointment as straightforward as possible.

Your appointment

You have been asked by your doctor or optometrist to come to one of our hospital or satellite sites at Northern Care Alliance Eye unit outpatient’s departments to see staff who are specialists in eye problems. Your appointment card or letter gives you the time and date of your appointment.

If you are unable to attend at this time, it is important that you let us know as soon as you can so we can use the appointment slot for someone else. When patients don’t attend for their appointments without letting us know it means that clinic time is not used well, waiting lists are longer and public money is wasted.

If you cannot attend your appointment and wish to rearrange it please telephone booking and scheduling and tell them where you are due to attend. The telephone number you need is shown on your appointment letter or card. Have your appointment letter with you when you call as it will have information on it that you will be asked for.

Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before your appointment time (we understand that this may not be possible if arriving by ambulance) as we do not have extra space to accommodate this. Arriving earlier does not mean that you will be seen by the doctor earlier, patients are seen in the order of their appointment time, not their arrival time.
 
Be aware that due to limited seating anyone who attends with you who is not required in the consultation may be asked to leave during our busier periods as we cannot accommodate seating for vast numbers within the unit, there are facilities at all locations for additional people to go for coffee.

Cancellations by the Hospital

Whilst we make every effort to make sure that appointments are not cancelled, there are occasions when, due to the unavailability of clinical staff, your appointment may have to be cancelled. If this is the case, we will arrange a new appointment for you to be seen as soon as possible.

When you arrive

Follow the signs on site to the hospital or satellite unit Eye clinics and enter the hospital via the main entrance. Once inside the hospital please report to the reception staff of the clinic indicated on your appointment letter and they will check you in.

Clinics at Fairfield General Hospital are on the ground floor and will require you to book in before being sent to the suite. Clinics at Oldham Integrated Care Centre are located on Floor two for main appointments and children’s clinics are located on floor four. Rochdale clinics are in two locations Level C within the eye unit and Suite one on main outpatients.

Suite one main outpatients carry out Laser, Intravitreal Injections, Botox and B-scans, but if you are required to have a scan on your visit you will also go to the main eye unit, but staff will inform you if this is required.

Please check your letter to establish the site which your appointment will be located.

What to bring with you

When you come to the eye clinic please remember to bring the following items with you to ensure that we can complete all the investigations required so you will not need to return unnecessarily:

• If you wear glasses, please bring your reading and distance glasses to every appointment
• If you are a contact lens user, please bring your contact lens cases and any other equipment that you might need to store your contact lenses, which will need to be removed during your eye examination. Alternatively bring a spare pair of glasses
• Sunglasses for when you leave. The hospital lighting is very bright and if you need to have drops to dilate the pupil of your eye, sunglasses will help prevent the bright light or sunlight from hurting your eyes. You should also consider having someone to pick you up following your appointment to ensure you can get home safely in case your sight is still blurred after your appointment
• Due to limited space in the waiting area, we ask patients to come alone unless you need specific care or the appointment requires your next of kin, please restrict the number of people accompanying children to one wherever possible. On busy days relatives will be asked to leave and collect after appointments
• Information about any medication that you are taking. Take your tablets/medicines/insulin as normal before your appointment unless advised otherwise by your doctor
• If you are a diabetic, please inform the nurses during your tests in clinic. It is advisable to bring a snack with you as refreshment facilities are not available in the clinic areas
• Your doctor may require you to have drops in your eyes so that they can have a detailed look in the eye, in this case you cannot drive as it distorts vision, in order for them to do this it would be best for you to be dropped off and collected after you have been seen
• If you wear contact lenses for corneal conditions, please ensure that these are removed 24 hours before your appointment and bring glasses with you to your appointment if you have them. If you have normal contact lenses, please bring your container as you may be asked to remove them for specific tests

Interpreters

Please be aware that the NCA has an interpreter policy in place and as such family members cannot interpret on behalf of other family members, please do not blame the staff on clinic as it is not their decision they are following trust rules. If you attend without booking them as per your appointment letter you may incur an additional wait as they must be rung to attend.

What to expect

We will do all we can to give you the best possible outcome from your time spent in the eye clinic. In order to minimise the number of visits you must make to the hospital we try to carry out all the tests you need during one visit. You are therefore likely to be at the hospital for 2-4 hours. You should also be prepared to be longer, as you may have tests arranged in other departments.
The amount of waiting time will vary from patient to patient. We do our best to make sure that each patient is seen as quickly as possible but please remember that there may be some waiting between tests, and then a wait before you see the doctor.
 
Following your arrival in clinic, we will carry out a distance vision test (called a visual acuity eye test). You will be asked to read from a letter board with each eye in turn before arranging any further tests you may need.

Eye drops may be required to enlarge your pupil (black part of the eye) and these take about 20-30 minutes to take effect. These drops blur your vision for between 6-8 hours, although sometimes the effects may last longer. We advise that you do not drive yourself to the appointment and do not drive until your vision has returned to normal for your safety and the safety of the public.

Who will you see?

There are a number of doctors in each consultant team so you may not be seen by the consultant personally. However, all consultants provide expert supervision and teaching of doctors in their teams and are made aware of the management of all their patients. We always ensure that the doctor you see is competent and capable of providing a good quality of care.

As a national centre of excellence, research and training is an important part of our work and medical students may be present during your consultation. We may also ask you to take part in research studies within the Trust; however, this is voluntary, and your decision will not in any way affect your treatment.

You can find out more about our hospital services on the Trust website.
http://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk

Virtual clinics

If you are invited to attend a virtual clinic, you will be asked to attend the eye clinic as usual.

We commonly will administer drops to your eyes to dilate (enlarge) the pupils, making it easier for us to get the scans we need.

Your vision will be blurred for 4 to 6 hours after the drops are administered. Therefore, we ask that you do not drive to your appointment and kindly arrange an alternative way of travelling home.

A number of assessments may be carried out by an ophthalmic technician. This may include, but are not limited to:

• A vision eye test
• A series of photographs and scans of the back of the eyes

Unlike usual face-to-face appointments, after your assessments are complete, you can go home. An experienced clinician will then review your notes and scans, which will not be on the same day. They will then plan about the most appropriate management and contact you with the plan.

Possible delays

Every effort is made to make your waiting time at our clinics as short and as comfortable as possible. Sometimes we are really busy and there may be unavoidable delays.

You may also be kept waiting for any of the following reasons:

• The doctor may need to spend more time than was anticipated with some patients
• Emergency cases may have to be seen
• Doctors may be delayed or called away
• Some patients arrive late
• On occasions, it may be necessary to prioritise patients who are diabetic, are travelling on hospital transport or patients who are unwell

You may notice that a patient who arrived after you is called forward before you. We make sure that we see each patient in their turn and the only reason that a patient would be seen before you will be because they require different tests from yours. There may be a number of different consultant clinics being held in one clinic area at the same time and again it may seem that patients arriving after you are seen before you. These patients are most likely being seen by a different doctor.

We would ask that you please be patient, and we will aim to see you as soon as possible. We will keep you informed of waiting times on the day. However, if you are unsure how long your clinic appointment is likely to take, please ask a member of staff.

How to get to the Hospital

There are directions on our website at https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/patient-information/ getting-here

If you require times of public transport telephone: GM Buses on (0161) 228 7811 or British Rail on 0845 7484950.

NHS Transport

Ambulance transport can only be authorised by your doctor. If this is your first visit and you need ambulance transport for medical reasons, please contact your family doctor (GP) who will be able to make the necessary arrangements. Please give your GP as much notice as you can. If you require transport for further visits, this may be arranged by us. We would normally ask whether family or friends are able to arrange transport for you if this is possible.

Car Parking

Information about car parking at the hospital sites is within the link below:
https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/patient-information/car- parking/parking-royal-oldham-fairfield-general-rochdale-infirmary

Patient car parking at the Oldham Integrated Care Centre is free but limited, requiring you to register your vehicle at reception to get your ticket stamped for longer stays. There are dedicated Blue Badge holder spaces, and you should allow extra time for finding a spot. Alternative options include nearby pay-and- display parking at the Oldham Civic Centre.

Additional Support

If you do have any additional needs, please contact the department before your appointment so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLO) employed by the Royal Institute for the blind and they offer all types of support and access to aids to assist patients with sight loss, please ask in the department for their details.

Food, drinks and snacks

There are a number of cafés within the hospitals where a variety of hot or cold food, drinks and snacks are available. At the Integrated Care Centre there is a coffee shop at the entrance.

Infection Control

The prevention and control of infection is a top priority for Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

All NHS organisations must ensure that they have effective systems in place to control healthcare associated infection and we are fully committed to ensuring resources are allocated to effectively protect patients, their relatives, staff and visiting members of the public. Please use the hand gel provided at the entrance and exit of each clinic.

Abuse to staff

Abuse to staff in any form will not be tolerated and you may be asked to leave if this happens. Staff will help you with any questions you may have and if they do not know the answer, they will seek a senior member of the team to support you to try to resolve any issues.

Questions

We encourage you to ask staff if you have any questions about your care. Write down any questions you may have before you attend clinic. Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t understand. For example, “Can you say that again? I still don’t understand.” If you don’t understand any words, ask for them to be written down and explained.

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