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.