CHEC Stockport brings eyecare closer to home for Glossop patients

Since opening its doors in 2023, CHEC Stockport has been undertaking a project to open ‘spoke’ clinics. Spokes act as extensions of the hospital’s ophthalmology offering, available in community settings including GP practices. CHEC says this unique operating model increases equity of access to specialist healthcare for people who struggle to travel to the hospital site, and relieves local waiting lists for outpatient, elective and diagnostic services.

CHEC’s fourth spoke has now opened at Arden House Medical Practice in High Peak, completing the roll out. Clinics are also available at Lambgates Health Centre in Glossop, Alderley Edge Medical Centre in Cheshire, and West Timperley Medical Centre in Altrincham.

Erin Broad, Hospital Manager for CHEC Stockport said: “Since opening our doors, CHEC Stockport has consulted more than 25,000 patients and carried out over 2,500 cataract surgeries, but we know not everybody feels able to visit the hospital. This could be due to transport or mobility issues, time constraints with work, or simply the need to feel comfortable in more familiar surroundings.

“That’s why our community clinics – or our ‘spokes’ – are so important. They break down barriers and make it easier than ever for us to complete the healthcare journeys our patients are taking, speeding up the process and unlocking extra resource in local NHS services, too. Now we have four community clinics up and running, we look forward to seeing the invaluable difference we can make.”

In 2023/24, CHEC treated more than 372,000 ophthalmology patients with an average wait time of less than four weeks. CHEC hospitals span the country’s major towns and cities, and each hospital is supported by a minimum of three community clinics, placed in more remote locations, in line with where patients say access to NHS treatment is particularly challenging.

To learn more about accessing the ophthalmology treatments CHEC provides in partnership with the NHS, please visit www.chec.uk