Also inside...Urgent Access ServicesGP Communications –

an updateDistrict Nurse Ambulatory

Care ClinicAdvice and Guidance on the

NHS e-Referral Service

PlusNewcastle Dermatology

Referrals updateOne-Stop Clinic for Children

with AsthmaFast Track Service for

Vocational Drivers with Suspected OSA

Newcastle Hospitals @ Manor Walks, Cramlington

Issue Twenty two - Dec 2016

GP Matters is now available electronically. Emailed bi-monthly our newsletter is sent out to all Practice Managers to be circulated down to GP and other Practice colleagues. If you would like us to send these to you directly, email gpmatters@nuth.nhs.uk and we will add you to our direct mailing list.

Top of the Research League Table

To find out more about these stories, go to the News Section of our website www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk

Centre of Excellence for Bone Disease

A new campaign featuring local breast cancer survivors hit the North East this Autumn to emphasise the importance of life saving breast screening“Breast Screening Saves Lives: It’s too important to forget” is a familiar slogan used by the Newcastle Hospitals’ Breast Screening Service, encouraging women aged 50-70 to attend their screening appointment at their local breast screening site.

This year, Breast Specialists at the city centre’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) have welcomed some of their patients to join the campaign to give a fresh perspective.

Posters featuring the new stars have been sent out GP Surgeries across the Region and we would urge you to place them with pride in your waiting areas.

The Newcastle Bone Centre at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital has been awarded Paget’s Association Centre of Excellence status.

The Paget’s Association Centre of Excellence Award recognises hospital and university departments which demonstrate excellence in both the treatment of Paget’s disease, and research into the condition. Newcastle is the latest centre to be bestowed with this prestigious award which was handed over by Professor Roger Francis, Chairman for the Paget’s Association, who established the Newcastle Bone Clinic back in 1984.

The Newcastle Hospitals has been named as the country’s top performing Trust for volume of clinical research for the fifth year in a row. This means we are offering more patients than any other NHS Provider with innovative, gold standard clinical research and trials.

The NIHR league table showed that our research experts delivered 514 clinical research studies during the last year, with over 12,000 patients taking part in Newcastle-led clinical research.

Copies can be requested from Alison Barker, Breast Unit Manager at the RVI by email alison.barker@nuth.nhs.uk

l-r: Professor Roger Francis presenting award to Dr Terry Aspray

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Community not domiciliary

District Nurse Ambulatory Care ClinicOn September 1st 2016, Newcastle’s

District Nursing Service launched its new Community Ambulatory Care Clinic at Walkergate Health Centre and Molineux Health Centre.

The service was established in response to District Nursing pressures, particularly in the east locality, where the provision of District Nursing clinics in GP practices was impacting on the District Nursing service.

The District Nursing Community Ambulatory Clinic is available to any patient who can access the centres and who require a District Nurse for the following:

• Complex wound management

• Lymphoedema management

• Continence assessment

• Bladder scanning

• Catheter management

• Dopplar assessment

• Ear assessment

• Ear syringing

• Bladder and bowel dysfunction assessment

• Referral to specialist services

Appointments are available through the NHS e:Referral System and the service accepts referrals from:

• Patients and/or their carers

• GPs and Practice Nurses

• Hospital teams

In its first month the clinic saw 322

patients, and although the service is in its early development already we are receiving fantastic feedback from patients. Comments received include: “wheelchair accessibility plus lovely staff”, “Excellent, everything is wonderful”, “I love it here, everything is fantastic”; “professional, friendly, excellent service”; “warm and welcoming”.

The service will continue to review the access and referral criteria in collaboration with our GP colleagues and the staff will be liaising directly with GP practices in the coming months.

If you have any comments you would like to share with us please contact either: Treacey.kelly@nuth.nhs.uk or Teresa.Creighton@nuth.nhs.uk

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I have worked as a GP for 25 years and in that time the number of

home visits undertaken by GPs has declined dramatically by at least 80 per cent.

We still visit a small group of people who are either in nursing homes or in receipt of palliative care usually in the latter stages of life.

Throughout this time frame community nursing teams have continued to work in the community as mobile units delivering care to patients in their own homes often from bases in GP surgeries although this has changed in recent years due to the severe pressure on physical space.

Their workload has become increasingly complex and challenging with early discharge post surgery and the provision of high quality palliative care support to patients and their families.

It is recognised that this highly skilled group of professionals are under increased pressure as a result of a rising workload, changed patient and societal expectations, increased complexity of caseload and the challenges of recruitment and retention which currently impact on all parts of the NHS.

It is undoubtedly more efficient to base nursing teams in strategically placed hubs across our city and ensure that more patients can access the care they need by travelling to see them. This may require

innovative approaches to patient transport and there will always be situations where domiciliary care is still required.

But the overall effect will be to use our existing workforce more flexibly in a way which enables them to deliver an improved service to the populations they serve.

It will enable a higher quality of consultation to take place due to the ease of access to computer based clinical records and diagnostic equipment and should, I hope, lead to improved job satisfaction for those staff involved. It reduces significantly the need for complex and expensive IT solutions to support mobile working in the community.

We have opened such a facility in the East of Newcastle and initial feedback is very positive from both staff and patients alike. I am hopeful that this is just the first of several such facilities serving the patients of this city.

There will be some among us who mindful of a different era mourn the fact that our community nurses are not based in GP premises and have fewer opportunities for face to face interaction with their GP colleagues and other members of the primary health care team. I know that some of my colleagues are very concerned about what they perceive as the loss of “their“district nurse.

However I feel that we need to be honest about the current situation in which community nursing finds itself. Demand is rising inexorably and outstripping capacity, recruitment and retention are huge issues and this is negatively impacting on the morale of the staff, and their ability, however well intended to deliver an effective service.

In my opinion, change is not only inevitable it is desirable. We need to use our resources flexibly and imaginatively to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our population. As we move forwards we will continue to have a community based service but, for the majority of patients, it will not be and nor does it need to be a domiciliary service.

Community not domiciliary - that’s the future.

Dr Steve Turley is a GP at Roseworth Surgery in Gosforth, Newcastle and a GP Clinical Adviser for the Newcastle Hospitals

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As with all NHS organisations we are gearing up to meet the challenges we face over the Winter months

Hospital admissions will always increase during Winter but we would like to emphasise the range of clinical

options available to GPs when making urgent referrals to the Newcastle Hospitals:

• The Ambulatory Care Unit – for patients who are ambulatory and would benefit from urgent assessment or investigations which can be booked for the same day or following morning;

• Our Emergency Medical Opinion Line – direct communication with a Consultant in Acute Medicine about a potential admission;

• Community Response and Rehabilitation Team (CRRT) – providing community based responses for patients who are frail and vulnerable, often with complex health and social needs;

• Rapid Assessment in Care of the Elderly (RACE) – rapid MDT assessment for early stage concerns.

There are many other services available which can be found online at www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/gpuac

All can be contacted when you need to arrange rapid referral to specialist care in one of our community or secondary care based services, and can be an excellent alternative to emergency admission for some patients.

GPs across Newcastle were also recently sent an updated A5 laminated contact sheet which provides direct contact details for some of the key services and clinics offering excellent alternatives to Newcastle’s Emergency Department and Assessment Suite.

Making use of all these services will help us to free capacity in our Emergency Department.

GP Communications – an updateOn Wednesday 9th November 2016 the Newcastle

Hospitals began sending out a range of notifications electronically to those GP practices who have access to ICE

and use it for obtaining discharge summaries:• electronic Emergency Department

discharge summaries from the RVI via e:Record

• electronic admission notifications – both elective and emergency

• electronic “Notification of Serious Diagnosis” - these will mainly be new cancer diagnoses but you will start to see notifications for serious, non-malignant diagnoses as well.

For the future:As previously reported we are progressing with plans to send Clinic Letters electronically and a pilot phase will start soon for patients seen at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) and Ophthalmology. Initially four GP practices will be involved, and further notice will be given of plans to roll this out when ready.

We also plan to send electronic notices with death certificate details of patients from your Practice, who have died within the Newcastle Hospitals. Again details of when we expect this to commence will be confirmed nearer the time.

We hope this update is useful but if you have any queries or need further information please contact:

Clinical: Dr Nick Thompson, Consultant Gastroenterologist Nick.Thompson@nuth.nhs.uk

ICE: Katrina Walker, Newcastle Hospitals’ ICE Administrator Katrina.Walker@nuth.nhs.uk

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We would like to encourage advice to be sought from the Haematology Department using the

e-referral service rather than by phone, unless the enquiry is urgent.

The Haematology Department guarantees a response from a Consultant Haematologist within seven working days.

Suitable Indications for Advice and Guidance Referral include:

• Blood count abnormalities of uncertain significance

• Clotting abnormalities of uncertain significance

• Advice on anticoagulation

• Advice on thrombotic risk

• Elderly/disabled patients who find it difficult to travel

Advice and Guidance should not be used for:

• Significant lymphadenopathy

• Patients already known to a particular Consultant Haematologist – please write directly to the Consultant in these cases

HAEMATOLOGY

For queries contact:Dr Anne Lennard, Consultant Haematologist (0191) 282 3176, anne.lennard@nuth.nhs.ukLawrence White, NHS e-Referral Service Manager (0191) 244 8632, lawrence.white@nuth.nhs.uk or lawrence.white@nhs.net

Advice and Guidance on the NHS e-Referral Service

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How the system works:

We require GPs to refer patients following the steps outlined below:

• Open e-Referral system in the normal way

• Enter ‘Priority, Specialty and Clinic Type’. The ‘dummy’ services are a duplicate of the actual services available

• Press ‘Search Primary Care’

• Select the appropriate service from the results displayed and select ‘Appointment Search’

• Select an appointment date and time (this will be from midnight onwards), then ‘Book’

• Select ‘Submit’, then ‘Add Referral Letter’

• Press ‘Close’ once the Referral letter has been added

Once received, all referrals will be triaged in the normal way and an appointment will be made for the patient as soon as a clinic slot becomes available. Details are sent directly to the patient.

Please note: In order to minimise any potential confusion for patients, NO

documentation should be sent to patients relating to their “dummy” appointment. A ‘dummy’ appointment can be identified as one which is booked into the relevant clinic from midnight onwards.

We would ask that when booking the ‘dummy’ appointment, GPs inform their patient that they do not yet have a booked appointment, and that a communication will be sent out to them from Newcastle Dermatology in due course advising them of their true appointment or other recommended course of action.

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Referral checklists introduced by Newcastle Dermatology

Newcastle Dermatology at the RVI have introduced a number of

checklists which they hope will help GPs manage certain groups of patients more effectively.

The checklists, which have been introduced for the following conditions:

• acne

• psoriasis

• scalp psoriasis

• eczema and rosacea

They provide GPs with detailed process maps to assist their management of patients which we hope will help to reduce the number of inappropriate referrals, and enable GPs to offer patients the most suitable treatment.

Checklists have been sent out to CCGs and are now available from the Trust’s website via this link http://www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/services/dermatology_information-for-professionals_prereferral-checklists.aspx

The pressures on Dermatology Services across the UK are well

known, and for Dermatologists in the North East this is no exception.

Due to the constraints of the NHS e-Referral system, Newcastle Dermatology is unable to view referral letters if the patients do not already have an appointment. It is therefore not possible to triage these referrals in the usual way.

In an endeavour to tackle this problem, Newcastle’s Dermatologists have introduced a new referral management service known as “Consultant First”. This approach enables GPs to refer patients in the usual way, but into a ‘dummy slot’. The Dermatologists can then view the referral information and make a decision on the best way forward for each individual patient.

“Consultant First” - Dermatology e-Referral Process

We do hope this is helpful but if you have any queries please contact our e-Referral Team:

Lawrence White, NHS e-Referral Service Manager (0191) 244 8632, lawrence.white@nuth.nhs.uk

or lawrence.white@nhs.net

Rachel Beynon, Senior Application Support Officer 0191 282 0914, rachel.beynon@nuth.nhs.uk

or rachel.beynon@nhs.net

Further copies can be requested directly from Newcastle Dermatology by contacting:

Martin Crosby, Assistant Directorate Manager martin.crosby@nuth.nhs.uk or 0191 282 9859.

UPDATE

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One-Stop Clinic for Children with AsthmaRespiratory experts at the Great North Children’s

Hospital now offer a one stop nurse led clinic for children with a diagnosis of asthma.

It is hoped that this approach can help to address many of the recommendations made as a result of the National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD) report by raising awareness and improving the basics of asthma management.

The clinic aims to improve knowledge of the condition, the medications used, how to self-manage, how to recognise the signs and symptoms of an acute attack and when to seek help.

BTS/SIGN guidelines suggest that nurse led interventions targeting particular groups of patients, often show benefits.

The one stop nurse led clinic will review children on a once only basis. During the appointment, an asthma control test will be taken, the basics of asthma management discussed, education given and a management plan compiled following

discussion with the patient and/or their family. Following the review, a decision will be made by the nurse regarding follow up arrangements.

We expect that the majority of those reviewed will be discharged back into the care of their GP, with some needing referral into the general paediatric service and a few needing specialist paediatric respiratory care.

‘Excellence in Paediatric Asthma Care’

10% of children suffer from asthma, and each year in the UK more than 25 children will die from it.

Almost all deaths in children have potentially avoidable factors. Yet children and young people continue to die from asthma in our region, and approximately half of these deaths occur in children with mild to moderate asthma who are being managed in primary care.

Dr Kate Cushing, a GP in Newcastle and Clinical Lead for Children and Young People at NHS Newcastle Gateshead CCG explains: “Each asthma related death is a horrific tragedy and profoundly affects families and the local communities in which they live.

“During 2014 - the same year that the National Review of Asthma Deaths was published - a teenage girl tragically died from an acute attack of asthma in Tyneside. She was well known to many healthcare professionals but sadly, her asthma remained of high risk to her.

“In response to the national review, and spurred on by this local tragedy, the region’s health community formed the North East Paediatric Partnership (NEPP), with the aim of providing tools to allow professionals deliver excellent, consistent and uniformly agreed paediatric care, irrespective of CCG and Trust boundaries.”

The NEPP will cover all common paediatric conditions - the first focus has been asthma.

The main themes of the National Review of Asthma Deaths were:• the basics of asthma management need to be done, and

done well• patients need to be educated and empowered to self

manage their asthma

• there needs to be improved communication between professionals from primary through to tertiary care, to eliminate the current fragmentation of care which too easily allows severe disease to be under appreciated

These helped to form the foundations for the NEPP’s first project - to develop the NEPP Asthma Network.

Dr Jennifer Townshend, Consultant Paediatrician at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle explains: “We aspire to provide ‘Excellence in Paediatric Asthma Care’ and are delighted to have developed an online resource available for all health professionals with access to a number of documents and videos to assist in the diagnosis and management of paediatric asthma.

“The resource also offers patient education and information on self-management with a direct link to a specialist asthma nurse for advice and queries.”

This resource is available at www.beatasthma.co.uk (entry through the ‘Health Professional Paediatrics’ link) as well as GPTeamNet.

Dr Townshend adds: “This user-friendly resource is for use each time you see a child with asthma. It will ensure their care meets the recommendations and will hopefully go some way to prevent avoidable deaths in our Region in the future.”

For any queries or comments please contact:

Dr Jennifer Townshend, Consultant Paediatrician who can be contacted on jennifer.townshend@nuth.nhs.uk

Referrals should be made via NHS e-Referral and any queries are welcomed by:

Sally Hails, Nurse Specialist for the Children’s Respiratory Service who can be contacted on 0191 2929721 or sally.hails@nuth.nhs.uk

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Introducing our Learning Disability Nurse Specialist in Sexual HealthFollowing an internal service review and a public

consultation regarding Sexual Health Service provision within Newcastle, it was identified that more needed to be done to support people who have a learning disability.

Amanda Holmes is now appointed as Learning Disability/Sexual Health Nurse and is based at New Croft Centre in Newcastle’s city centre.

Since commencing her role, Amanda has developed pathways to support people with a learning disability to access Sexual Health Services. She has established links with many of the learning disability service providers in Newcastle and with various teams and departments across Social Services, Children’s Services, Maternity Services, School Health as well as many voluntary organisations. It is hoped that these links will strengthen access for those individuals who tend to experience difficulty in accessing mainstream services.

Amanda will undertake all necessary training to become a qualified Sexual Health Practitioner in order to provide individualised care and specialist interventions for patients who have a learning disability both within New Croft and the wider community. At present Amanda is providing 1:1 support, advice and education for individuals who have a learning disability around issues such as the importance of maintaining good sexual health, healthy relationships, consent, contraception and cervical screening.

Amanda is also providing 1:1 support with clients who find attending clinic appointments difficult and prefer to have care and treatment within their own homes or community setting working in partnership with the mobile outreach team and facilitating appointments within New Croft where appropriate.

To make or discuss a referral please contact Amanda Holmes direct at New Croft Sexual Health.

Newcastle’s Rheumatology experts scoop national charity awards

Three members of the Freeman Hospital’s Rheumatology team have won national awards having been voted

by patients who have benefited from their care.

First up, Michelle Rutherford, a Clinical Nurse Specialist has won ‘Best Care provided by a Rheumatology Nurse’ in the Patients’ Choice Awards from the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS). The awards were voted for online by patients who nominated health care professionals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Patients felt Michelle went out of her way to provide excellent care to her patients with comments including:

“Michelle has been my nurse for 5 years and always goes the extra mile to ensure all her patients are well looked after. She always has a smile on her face and has always returned my phone calls. She is indispensable... it is no exaggeration to say she has helped change my life.”

Next up is Consultant Rheumatologist Dr Martin Lee and Nurse Specialist Karl Nicholl who have won a National Rheumatology Arthritis Society (NRAS) Healthcare Champion Award.

The Healthcare Champion Awards recognise the dedication and professionalism patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) receive from the healthcare professionals in this field, to help them cope with their condition and get the best possible outcomes.

Phil Powell, Directorate Manager for Newcastle’s Musculo Skeletal Services says: “This is a fantastic achievement for the Rheumatology speciality as a whole and for Michelle, Karl and Martin individually.

“Their national recognition highlights the exceptional care that the team provide to their patients on a daily basis and re-affirms the deserved reputation of the service.”

Congratulations to Michelle, Karl and Martin, you deserve to be justifiably very proud!

0191 2826706/2826504 or Amanda.Holmes@nuth.nhs.uk

l-r: Karl Nicholl and Dr Martin Lee

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Fast Track Service for Vocational Drivers with Suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) – an update

The Newcastle Regional Sleep Service based at the Freeman Hospital established a 4 Week Fast Track Investigation and Treatment Service for

Vocational Drivers with suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea 18 months ago.

This streamlined, expedited pathway of investigation and treatment, was set up in response to revised Guidelines from the DVLA requiring drivers with suspected OSA and sleepiness sufficient to impair driving safely to cease from driving until investigated and treated.

Many symptomatic individuals who would benefit from OSA treatment are reluctant to come forward due to fear of possible employment consequences – particularly if extended delays for investigation and review are anticipated. The assurance that this expedited service provides with enhanced access to speedy diagnosis and treatment, will hopefully reduce these concerns.

The Sleep Service review of the first cohort of drivers investigated under this expedited route indicated that a nurse-led service navigating patients through a combined investigation / treatment and review sequence allowed all aspects of the process to be completed successfully within the identified 4 week timeframe, including a decision on resuming driving following a trial of CPAP.

The positive findings have been presented at a recent meeting of the British Thoracic Society and identified by the RAC and other road safety groups as a progressive example of how NHS services can be responsive to meeting identified clinical needs with important public safety and other outcomes.

Multiple studies have shown that road traffic accidents are more common in people with untreated OSA (estimates range from 3 to 9 times greater). The British Lung Foundation in 2013 however estimated 80% of individuals with OSA are undiagnosed.

OSA is more common in men and increases with age and obesity. Professional drivers, particularly HGV and PSV drivers, typically fall into these categories. The prevalence of OSA in this group is thus higher than the average across the population as a whole. The current estimate of OSA in HGV drivers is 15% (75,000 of the estimated 500,000 lorry drivers in the UK).

People with OSA typically present with loud snoring, observed pauses in breathing, restlessnes or unrefreshing sleep and daytime sleepiness. The Epworth Sleepiness Score and STOPBang Questionnaire (available online) are quick and useful tools in identifying individuals who might have OSA.

Newcastle Hospitals @ Manor Walks, Cramlington

The new, state of the art outpatient centre at the Manor Walks Shopping and Leisure Centre in Cramlington has

just celebrated its first anniversary and is proving to be a huge success.

Patients who have used the centre have remarked upon the superb standards of the facilities and the staff, and the convenience and ease of access.

We are currently running a number of clinics from Newcastle Hospitals @ Manor Walks, specially chosen as having high attendances from patients living in and around the South

Northumberland area, including:

• Audiology and ENT (including Specialist Nurse Clinics)

• Dermatology (including a Melanoma Screening Clinic)

• Ophthalmology (Macular Service Clinic)

• Plastic Surgery Clinic

We also offer Chemotherapy Closer to Home clinics provided by our specially trained nursing staff from the Freeman Hospital’s Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC).

In each edition of GP Matters we shall publish a feature on the clinics provided there. This issue features:

Plastic Surgery Clinic

This clinic is run by Consultant Plastic Surgeon Mr David Sainsbury, at Manor Walks Health Centre,

Cramlington for adult plastics patients who meet the criteria outlined below:

Patients / conditions suitable for referral:

• Patients aged 16 or over

• General Plastics patients

• Functional facial problems and visible facial difference

• Ear anomalies

Patients / conditions not suitable for referral:

• Patients under 16

• Hands

• Breasts

• Patients requiring an x-ray

Patients should be referred via NHS e:Referral.

Search under specialty “Surgery Plastic” and clinic type “minor plastic” or “not otherwise specified”.

Under ‘Organisation or Site Name’ type in NUTH and the option of ‘Newcastle Hospitals at Cramlington’ will come up.

If you have a vocational driver who you suspect could have OSA with daytime sleepiness please refer them DIRECTLY marking your referral FAST TRACK to:

Dr Sophie West, Lead Consultant, Newcastle Regional Sleep Service on Fax 01912137397 or email the Sleep Service Administrator on Joan.Furness@nuth.nhs.uk.

Please note: Using e:Referral for these patients does not access the expedited 4 Week Fast Track Service.

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Consultant AppointmentsMr David Sainsbury joins the RVI’s Plastic Surgery team having completed a fellowship in Canada, and Advanced Training in Cleft Lip and Palate across the UK.David says he thoroughly enjoyed living and working in Newcastle throughout his training and is delighted to return. He says: “I believe the Plastic Surgery Department in Newcastle delivers world-class reconstructive surgery, is highly innovative and collaborates with many specialties across the region. Furthermore, I am delighted and proud to work within the Cleft Team which is a truly multidisciplinary service.”

David’s main subspecialty interests are cleft lip and palate, ear reconstruction, managing any formation of visible facial difference and skin cancer. He aspires to provide the best possible care for patients with a cleft lip / palate or any form of visible facial difference to allow individuals to fully maximise their potential and achieve a happy and fulfilling life.

“I am particularly keen to establish a multidisciplinary ear reconstruction service in Newcastle. We are aiming to improve access for newborn babies with ear deformities so that non-surgical techniques (such as using ear splints in the neonatal period) may be applied in appropriate cases and support given to families.”

Dr Dan Saleh has also joined Newcastle’s Plastic Surgery team specialising in head, neck and facial surgery.Having trained in Yorkshire, South Africa and Australia, Dan says he was attracted to the North East as an outstanding area to live in with great beaches. But there is another ‘Outstanding’ reason too. Dan explains:

“The Plastics Department at the RVI is renowned as one of the best in the country and is heavily involved in my specialist interest areas of mucosal, salivary and skin malignancy and facial reconstruction following injury or cancer, including deformity and paralysis in

adults. I will also cover a general plastic surgical commitment and hope to work closely with my colleagues to develop existing services and research areas in head and neck skin cancer/functional outcomes in reconstructive surgery.

“I would also like to link with primary care to try streamline the skin cancer pathways i.e. use of telemedicine or even rapid access initiatives because I think there is much crossover with primary and secondary care for patients that have cutaneous lesions. Secondary care needs to harness the skin cancer skills available in General Practice so we can be effective together. I also think it would be useful to have joint teaching sessions so as groups we better understand what we do for our patients.”

Miss Anca Nita is the latest Ophthalmologist to join the Newcastle Eye Centre.Originally from Romania, Anca has trained in in her home country as well as India and across the UK. Having carried out a Glaucoma fellowship in Leicester, Anca joined the Glaucoma team at the RVI.

Anca says: “I decided to locate to the beautiful city of Newcastle with my family because I was attracted to the good reputation of the RVI, as well as the strong, active research collaboration with Newcastle University.”

Anca specialises in both Glaucoma and complex cataract surgery and has a special interest in developing new ways of delivering glaucoma care. She says “Treatment pathways and guidelines for Glaucoma are updated regularly and we as a team liaise with our primary care colleagues as often as we need to, to make sure they are kept abreast of any changes which may affect their practice. We hope GPs find this works well but are happy to hear of any suggested improvements.”

As well as the RVI’s Newcastle Eye Centre, Miss Nita holds a clinic at the Fell Tower Medical Centre in Low Fell on Monday afternoons.

New

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