How easy is it to move hospitals?

[craigthornton]

I have become increasingly dissatisfied with the eye hospital where I am seen and my numerous eye conditions are getting worse. I am seeing my GP tomorrow and want to ask to move to Moorfields.
Has anyone moved before? How easy was it? I know you can "book and choose" for one-off treatment but not sure how it is for permanent outpatients?

[longhoc]

Hello Craig

Should be very easy. I've done it myself and patient choice is normally well supported by GPs. Primary Care is responsible for commissioning services and can pretty much specify any authorised provider. Services can be supplied by vanilla NHS Trusts or even private operators with a licence to tout for NHS contracts. The only downside is that wherever you end up wanting to go, you have to pay the costs of getting there yourself. For Keratoconus, with the requirement to make often repeat visits, this can end up being non-trivial.

Moorfields is a recognised centre of excellence and many of our members report getting a very high standard of care there. The only negative I might offer is that the patient processing is very prone to micro-management -- you get one wait time for a refraction, another for a pentacam scan, another for the ophthalmologist, another for lens fitting and so on. It can take a whole day to get from one end of the process to the other if you need "the full works". But the clinical team are world-class and some such as Ken Pullum are legends such as in the field of scleral lenses.

Let us know if you get any snags.

Best wishes,

Chris

[craigthornton]

Thanks Chris, sounds like it should be straightforward then. I need to explain to my GP that the problems cause me to be very down and as a result I don't take care of myself (health wise I mean, not washing ha!!)

[craigthornton]

Well that was quicker than I thought! Saw my GP on Monday and got a letter today saying I am booked in for 1st October under book & choose.

Hopefully now I can be sorted out!

Is Moorfields walkable from Kings Cross? Googlemaps says 1.5 miles, which I don't mind, but wondered if there is footpaths all the way?

[longhoc]

Hi Craig

Well... in theory yes, it's not too far to walk. If you were walking along a nice country lane, it would probably be quite pleasant... but this is London (and, he says, inviting protests, not the prettiest bit of it), with the crowds, the endless waits to cross roads, the ease with which you can get lost etc. so I'd say wouldn't rule it out, but you might get a bit fed up by the time you got there ! It's very simple to walk though from Old Street underground and the right exit is clearly signed (there are a lot of exits at that station so make sure you pick the right one to use). Think it's only a couple of stops down on the Northern Line.

Hope you get a better eye care experience than you've had up to now. My last bit of advice is that if possible, try to keep a clear idea in mind of what you want to investigate -- might be you'd like to try a different sort of lens if you're not getting what you want out of RGPs, say. In that case, make it known that you don't want another set of cheap 'n cheerful RGPs but maybe want to have a trial of Kerasoft lenses. I'm often tempted to think that the professionals are psychic and will just know what's bothering me and think up exactly what I'd like to do about it, but that's probably not a fair expectation so I shouldn't be disappointed when it doesn't happen

But what isn't unreasonable is if I spell out what isn't working for me, that is responded to and options are presented to me with a chance to go through the pro's and con's of each.

Do let us know how you get on, if you're unsure of anything (e.g. want any more information on a particular option you're thinking about) do ask but it does seem like you've been through everything -- and more ! -- in the past few years .

Best wishes, take care, be hoping that all goes okay for you.

Chris