Keys to new eye hospital handed over
SuppliedThe keys to a new eye hospital have been handed over ahead of its opening later this summer.
The new facility will be called Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital and will replace the existing one on Queen Alexandra Road, which was deemed no longer fit for purpose.
It will include an A&E waiting space designed with children in mind, children's treatment rooms and the region's Cataract Treatment Centre, which has been set up with an extra theatre.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust said the build had been completed on schedule and final preparations were set to begin to get the site ready to welcome patients.
Michael Boys, from Morpeth, Northumberland, has been under the care of eye specialists in Sunderland since birth, as he has congenital cataracts and developed glaucoma as a teenager.
The 40-year-old said the city centre location of the new hospital would be easier to get to.
"I was invited to the groundbreaking ceremony when building work started and it is amazing that the new eye hospital is now fully complete," he said.
SuppliedThe trust's chief executive Ken Bremner MBE said the impact of the specialist eye hospital has been felt beyond the city.
"Getting the keys to the building is the next step in this journey as we continue to look after people's eyes, from our very young patients, to helping those in their later years," Bremner said.
"They will soon have access to an outstanding facility to match the excellent eye care inside."
The new eye hospital will open to patients later this summer, with more details about the phased opening dates expected in the coming weeks.
