First patients for West Suffolk Hospital’s new Eye Treatment Centre

Media invitation

Time:           11am

Date:            Monday, 2^nd February

Venue:          Eye Treatment Centre, rear of West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St  Edmunds

The new Eye Treatment Centre at West Suffolk Hospital opens for patients for the first time on Monday, 2^nd February. Media are invited to visit the Centre on its opening day, see the facility, and interview the following people:

Mr Tony Vivian, Ophthalmic Surgeon

Mrs Sophie Pettifer, Eye Treatment Centre Manager

Mrs Rachel Andrews, Eye Theatre Sister

Identified patients

The new Centre is situated at the rear of the West Suffolk Hospital site and has cost £4.3 million to build and equip. It replaces the existing eye department within the main hospital building.

Operations such as cataracts, squint operations, corneal grafts and retinal surgery will be performed in the new Centre. The vast majority of this surgery will take place on a day case basis.  The West Suffolk Hospital currently performs around 2,400 cataract removal operations each year.

Mr Tony Vivian, consultant ophthalmologist, says “The new Eye Treatment Centre is a fantastic facility.  It’s clever design and state-of-the-art equipment make it the most innovative eye unit in the country.  Our patients will get the highest quality eye care and they will not have to wait so long to get it.”

“We are very excited and pleased to have moved into the Eye Treatment Centre” said Sophie Pettifer, Eye Treatment Centre Manager.  “It is a much more pleasant and spacious environment and gives us a great opportunity to significantly improve the quality of patient care.”

The Trust is appealing for volunteers to work in the Eye Treatment Centre. Volunteers can help by welcoming patients to the centre, escorting people around the building and befriending patients who welcome support.

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about becoming a befriender can contact Geraldine Debenham on 01284 713 206.

We will be welcoming patients into the new Eye Treatment Centre for the first time on Monday 2^nd February, and will also look forward to your visit that morning.