Transcript R.N.I.B - diabetic retinopathy

R.N.I.B
EYE CLINIC LIAISON OFFICER
‘ECLO’
WHAT DO I DO - AND WHY?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
EYE CLINIC LIAISON OFFICER= ECLO
The ECLO provides –
Emotional support
Advice and information
Registration advice
Information on eye conditions
Family support
Referral on to other agencies
A link between medicine and community
resources
WHY?
To provide a service at the point of need
To allow patients informed choices
To advocate for patients
To give some control back to patients
To reduce the workload on clinicians
To provide known point of contact for revolving
door patients
To provide an easily accessible service …..
Previously no such service offered
WHO CAN USE THIS SERVICE?
•
•
•
•
Anyone in fact –
Clinicians
Nursing staff
Other professionals – eg education, Social
Services,GPs, childrens services
• Hospital wards – stroke wards, diabetic
clinics, hearing centre etc
• YOU CAN!!
HOW TO REFER
•
•
•
•
•
•
On appropriate ECLO referral form
By telephone
By email
By letter
By spoken word
Or stop me and talk! I’m here full time..
*** please give sufficient info to allow me to make
contact with the patient appropriately
LUCKY SOLIHULL
• There are only 6 R.N.I.B ‘ECLO’s nationally
•
•
•
•
•
•
Brighton,
Solihull
Barnsley
Rotherham
Wakefield
Newcastle (2)
Most Eye Clinics would love to have one – Solihull is
fortunate to have this facility
WHAT WILL YOU GET FROM
THIS SERVICE?
• More time to do what you’re there for!
• Reassurance that the patient has access to
immediate support
• Less anxious, better informed patiennts
• The ability to ‘hand over’ social/emotional
problems identified by staff in clinic
• BUT you need to think out of your own box and
see the patient outside of the medical model of
assessment
SO HOW DOES THIS WORK?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
You see the patient
You do the fields, visions etc
You do the medical assessment
AND YOU THINK OUT OF THE BOX!
Does that patient need to be seen by the ECLO?
Refer to ECLO
ECLO sees immediately or by follow up
telephone call or by appointment with ECLO in
clinic
• Patients are encouraged to self refer back – and
do
SO AT THE END OF THE FIRST
YEAR?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Target nos to see – 350
Patients actually referred 540
Over 95% are 65 and over
40% of those have a hearing loss
Approx 50% live alone
Complex needs abound – stroke, arthritis, heart
conditions, diabetes, poor housing, financial
problems, family not local to support etc etc
• Hidden majority = very vulnerable sector of
society – needs to be recognised
THE FUTURE
• Post will cease in May 2007 as Lottery funding
ends
• What service will be provided then? Will you as
individual clinicians be able to absorb this work
again as happened pre- ECLO. Don’t forget the
huge numbers generated by the access to an
ECLO
• Already recognised as a Gold Standard service
• Heartlands Trust in the forefront of innovative
practice in the Eye Clinic – don’t lose it by not
using it