We wanted to:

• help other hospitals improve their ophthalmology service outcomes.
• bring care closer to patients’ homes.
• meet more demand for eye services from an ageing population.
• respond to invitations by other providers to take over their services.
• meet consultants’ aspirations to sub-specialise and treat rarer conditions.
• support the funding of tertiary services by treating more patients with common conditions such as cataracts.
• increase patient volumes to create research base.
• increase potential for private practice income to re-invest in NHS services.