Patients went blind after appointment delays

The Times has reported on an internal report into the treatment of glaucoma patients at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust that found that fifteen patients were left blind or with severe sight loss after staff shortages led to delays in their treatment.

The report follows an investigation at the Trust after a patient with glaucoma had to wait ten months for an appointment when they should have been seen in three months. The investigation found that 4,500 glaucoma patients had suffered delays. Of those, 34 were contacted for review and 15 were found to have been left blind or with severe sight loss. 

Full story in The Times, 26 October 2019