In November 2020 Midland Eye made the decision to open its doors to patients seeking specialist eye care seven days a week. Previously, Midland Eye used to be open on weekdays, from 8am to 6pm. Five months after the move to a seven day service, Anne Sharkey, Operations Manager, reflects on the difference it has made to the team and how patients have reacted to being able to access specialist eye care on the weekends as well as during the week in the evenings.
“We’re a small and close-knit team at Midland Eye. From our expert consultants who are world-leaders in ophthalmology to our brilliant and committed staff team, it’s a warm, friendly and tight-knit family at Midland Eye.
Being a close team, we’re on the same page when it comes to most things, and we’d had our ‘eye’ on opening on the weekends as well as weekdays for a while. When we sorted out the logistics and said this was what we wanted to do, everyone was totally on board at Midland Eye.”
“It had been a long-held aspiration for the whole team so to open our doors that first weekend in November last year was a hugely satisfying moment, especially during a global pandemic when so many people weren’t able to access eye health care or surgery in a normal way. We’re now open on weekends from 8am to 4pm as well as 8am to 8pm during the week.
Since November, we’ve only gone from strength to strength. Our team can’t imagine going back to a weekday-only service now! We’ve welcomed more patients on weekends, and had brilliant feedback from people who have told us they’re so happy to have the option for appointments on the weekends as well as during the week. We’ve also rolled out virtual consultations for patients who want to speak to an eye expert over the phone or online instead of face to face, and this has been really appreciated by our patients too, particularly as a consultation can be booked in as little as 24 hours!
As providers of specialist eye care, we are committed to playing a vital role in looking after people’s eye health and excited that we can continue to do so with the extension of our opening hours.”
“We feel passionately that eye health should not be neglected and anyone who has concerns about their eyes can access our consultant-only service any day of the week to be assessed. With minimal waiting times for high-quality treatment and surgery, there’s no reason to delay treatment as patients can secure fast access to the country’s leading eye doctors.”
