Diabetic Eye Screening Programme Restoration Update
Lockdown Screening
During lockdown, the service continued to screen high risk people with diabetes (e.g. pregnant ladies and some of those on a 3 or 6 month recall) although the screening service was paused for all other people.
Moving Forward
The National Diabetic Eye Screening Team have recently issued guidance to restart screening for all in a phased approach. Our Restoration Plan has been agreed with the local NHS England and NHS Improvement Commissioners and we are very pleased and eager to start screening once again.
We will invite people to screening appointments in the following order:
- Invite over next few weeks and months – those who are pregnant, under digital surveillance, newly diagnosed, had background retinopathy at last appointment (R1M0) or Did Not Attend their last appointment.
- January 2021 – Those who at their last appointment had no retinopathy or maculopathy (R0M0) are at much lower risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
Appointment Arrangements
We have taken several practical steps to ensure those attending and our staff are kept safe in the clinics:
- A pre-screening health check call – to ensure those with COVID-19 symptoms (themselves or a member of their household) or self-isolating do not attend, and their appointment is rebooked.
- Ensuing people attending their appointment are wearing or are provided with a face covering as per Government guidance
- Social distancing guidance will be strictly followed
- No waiting in the waiting room before the appointment or after the Tropicamide drops have been administered
- All the equipment and room undergo rigorous cleaning between appointments and at the beginning and start of each day
- A Perspex screen fixed on the camera
- The Screener will be wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) including apron, gloves, mask, and visor.
Full instructions on these new arrangements will be given in the appointment letter, during any telephone contact and are available on the website, www.devondesp.co.uk
Survey
To provide some reassurance to people that are new arrangements were helping people to attend, during May and early June we surveyed those attending to check – Did they feel safe?
We are happy to say that 99.5% said they felt safe attending screening
Please click on the links below for full details
