A NEW specialist eye unit has opened at a Worcestershire treatment centre - promising quicker and better treatment for patients.

The unit at Kidderminster Treatment Centre, which is used by people across the county, brings together cataract surgery and opthalmology outpatient clinics for the first time in Worcestershire.

With a new twin cataract suite and a dedicated team of nursing staff, the unit's opening marks another "significant" milestone in the multi-million pound treatment centre's development, say health bosses.

Having the services together in a single location should make life more straightforward for patients, who will be able to report to the same place each time they visit for surgery or consultations and will be cared for throughout their course of treatment by the same team of nurses.

And it is hoped the new unit, which has doubled the number of people who can be treated, has the potential to take patients from further afield - helping to bring down waiting lists in other parts of the country where patients are awaiting surgery for longer than those in Worcestershire.

Very proud

Chris Tallents, the centre's associate medical director and a consultant opthalmologist for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said he was very proud of the new unit.

"I am delighted that this part of the development is now open to patients.

"The quality of opthalmology services in Worcestershire is already well established and this new unit can only enhance that reputation further.

Attractive

"Its design is in keeping with the ethos of the treatment centre - to put our patients at the heart of how we plan and deliver our services.

"As people are increasingly given the power to choose where they are cared for, I believe that this new unit provides an attractive, high-quality facility which will prove an attractive option for opthalmology patients."