South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust is opening a new community Eye Imaging Hub inside Sunderland’s Beacon of Light, shifting routine scans and photographs for thousands of patients with glaucoma and retinal conditions into a community venue with free parking and a café.
Work is underway to kit out the ground-floor space, which will have its own welcome desk and a team of four ophthalmic imaging technicians offering scans, photos, and field tests. The service currently operates at Sunderland Eye Infirmary, where it has seen around 8,000 patients in its first year, and the trust expects the move to increase capacity and reduce waiting times.
The hub opens at a time of wider change for eye care in the city. The new Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital on Plater Way is preparing to welcome patients from mid-July, and the Eye Infirmary, home to services for more than 70 years, will close. Its emergency department relocates first, on Saturday 11 July, with all other services moving across by Thursday 23 July.
Jamie Wright, Chief Operating Officer at Foundation of Light, the Sunderland AFC charity that runs the Beacon of Light, said bringing specialist screening into a trusted community setting makes essential healthcare more accessible and strengthens partnership working. The hub will work closely with the new specialist hospital and the Northern Ophthalmic Research and Innovation (NORI) Institute, hosted by the University of Sunderland, which aims to link routine eye images with other health data to help spot early signs of conditions such as diabetes, dementia, heart disease, and stroke.
Patients whose appointments will take place at the new hub should check their appointment letters for the venue details. The Beacon of Light offers two hours of free parking, a café, and nearby public transport links.
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