Children wait for eye surgery at Derry hospital as search for specialist doctor continues

Hundreds of children in Derry are awaiting eye surgery and routine appointments as the Western Trust is experiencing difficulties recruiting a specialist doctor.

At present the Western Trust has no Paediatric Ophthalmologist after a consultant who held the post for more than 10 years left in September 2020 to ‘take up a new job as a career choice’.

Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and surgery that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the eye. 

A doctor appointed in May 2021 as a replacement was a temporary locum who decided that the travel involved was excessive - covering Altnagelvin and Ballymena - and decided to leave.

The Western Trust now has 106 children aged below 15 years of age on the Paediatric Ophthalmology surgical waiting list.

In addition, 360 Paediatric Ophthalmology patients are currently waiting for routine appointments and reviews. 

A spokesperson for the Trust said it has commenced paediatric surgery which has been triaged as ‘non-complicated’.

No surgery has begun in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust which will handle the Western Trust’s more ‘complex cases’.

He added: “We are currently working with the Belfast Trust who have agreed to see urgent paediatric ophthalmology patients and there are clinics on a Wednesday PM in Ballymena and the Royal Victoria Hospital. 

“We are trying to find a long-term solution for the paediatric ophthalmology service and have been working with Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Health and Social Care Board.

“Recruitment has been difficult due to this being a specialist post and we have gone out several times to recruit with no success.”

Details of the vacancy emerged at this month’s Western Trust Board meeting.

Board members were notified of a new ‘corporate risk’ because the vacant Ophthalmology post which resulted in ‘no clinics’.

The Board heard that no consultant is in place to lead Ophthalmology and no routine cases are being seen resulting in long-waiting lists.

The Board was asked whether it wanted to approve that risk.

Mr Joe Campbell, Non-Executive Director, asked how that risk manifests in the Trust.

Geraldine McKay, Director of Acute Hospitals, said that last Autumn the Trust lost its Paediatric Ophthalmologist who resigned.

“Since then we have been delivering different aspects of the service across a number of our adult ophthalmologists,” she explained.

“At present we will not be able to replace her.  We have been managing this risk.”

Ms McKay said the Trust has received ‘intensive support’ from Belfast colleagues.

The post has been advertised as part of international recruitment to appoint a locum consultant.

She added that the Trust is trying to move to a regional service but in the interim it has been escalated to a corporate risk.

Any complex treatment at this time will be carried out in Belfast until the post is filled, she concluded.