Thursday, 19 January 2012
Members of the Ophthalmology Department at Singleton Hospital recently gathered to share their experiences of providing education and support to their counterparts in The Gambia.
As part of ABM’s Health Links project, staff including Consultant Ophthalmologists, Theatre Nurses, Pharmacists, Orthoptists, Optometrists and Medical Engineers visit the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre (SZRECC) once or twice a year to train and educate staff, treat patients and repair equipment.
To celebrate coming to the end of their first three year action plan, the department gathered, along with four visiting staff from The Gambia, to present to each other the changes they have helped to put into place.
Picture l-r: Stella Elliott, Links Coordinator; Michael Austin, ABM Consultant Ophthalmologist; Baba Sey, SZRECC Paediatric Nurse; Sheriff Trawally, SZRECC Cataract Surgeon; Alasana Touray, SZRECC Theatre Change Nurse; Mam Nyangho, SZRECC Nurse; David Laws, ABM Consultant Ophthalmologist
Mr David Laws, Consultant Ophthalmologist, said:
“The Swansea Gambia Health Link was established in 2008 as part of the World Health Organisation’s aim to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020. Singleton Hospital is one of 23 ophthalmology units in the UK working with centres in Africa to care for patients with blindness. It is a privilege to be involved in this project which has already had great success in reducing disability.”
Susan Williams, Theatre Nurse and Day Surgery Manager, has visited the centre twice:
“One of my aims has been to develop the role of the scrub nurse, who will assist the consultant during surgery. I also wanted to focus on infection control and how to keep the theatres clean, as the centre doesn’t have the support services which we have to help them.
“You can learn a lot, working in a different environment. It makes you realise how much you know, and teaches you how to become more adaptable and do things differently, as you may not have the resources that you are used to at home.”
One area which the multidisciplinary team has focused on is paediatrics, as the sooner eye conditions are detected, the more chance there is of preventing the patient from becoming blind.
Previously, SZRECC didn’t have a designated waiting area or clinic for children. They were treated alongside adults, with no priority given. Patients under six also didn’t have their vision tested.
During her visits, Suzanne Martin, Deputy Head of Orthoptics, has helped to set up a paediatric clinic. Now, there is a child friendly waiting room, with seats and toys, away from the adults, and a Paediatric Consultant Ophthalmologist employed at the centre for two years to start a children’s clinic. Children are now treated on Wednesday and Fridays, with a much shorter waiting time.
Progress can be made difficult by faulty equipment. Staff from the Medical Equipment Management Service (MEMS) take part in the visits so they can repair equipment for new and existing services. They also train the SZRECC staff to repair the equipment, and to service and maintain it so it continues to work. Machinery which needs a lot of attention is brought back to Singleton Hospital.
One key difference the MEMS team have made was by fixing a machine used by consultants to treat children with cataracts. By having the correct equipment working, staff at SZRECC are able to restore sight to five paediatric cataract cases a week.
Without treatment, 60% of blind children in rural Africa die before adulthood, so these developments are not just sight saving, but also lifesaving.
For more information, visit the Swansea Gambia link website www.gambia-swansea-eye-link.org.
To celebrate coming to the end of their first three year action plan, the department gathered, along with four visiting staff from The Gambia, to present to each other the changes they have helped to put into place.
Picture l-r: Stella Elliott, Links Coordinator; Michael Austin, ABM Consultant Ophthalmologist; Baba Sey, SZRECC Paediatric Nurse; Sheriff Trawally, SZRECC Cataract Surgeon; Alasana Touray, SZRECC Theatre Change Nurse; Mam Nyangho, SZRECC Nurse; David Laws, ABM Consultant Ophthalmologist Mr David Laws, Consultant Ophthalmologist, said:
“The Swansea Gambia Health Link was established in 2008 as part of the World Health Organisation’s aim to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020. Singleton Hospital is one of 23 ophthalmology units in the UK working with centres in Africa to care for patients with blindness. It is a privilege to be involved in this project which has already had great success in reducing disability.”
Susan Williams, Theatre Nurse and Day Surgery Manager, has visited the centre twice:
“One of my aims has been to develop the role of the scrub nurse, who will assist the consultant during surgery. I also wanted to focus on infection control and how to keep the theatres clean, as the centre doesn’t have the support services which we have to help them.
“You can learn a lot, working in a different environment. It makes you realise how much you know, and teaches you how to become more adaptable and do things differently, as you may not have the resources that you are used to at home.”
One area which the multidisciplinary team has focused on is paediatrics, as the sooner eye conditions are detected, the more chance there is of preventing the patient from becoming blind.
Previously, SZRECC didn’t have a designated waiting area or clinic for children. They were treated alongside adults, with no priority given. Patients under six also didn’t have their vision tested.
During her visits, Suzanne Martin, Deputy Head of Orthoptics, has helped to set up a paediatric clinic. Now, there is a child friendly waiting room, with seats and toys, away from the adults, and a Paediatric Consultant Ophthalmologist employed at the centre for two years to start a children’s clinic. Children are now treated on Wednesday and Fridays, with a much shorter waiting time.
Progress can be made difficult by faulty equipment. Staff from the Medical Equipment Management Service (MEMS) take part in the visits so they can repair equipment for new and existing services. They also train the SZRECC staff to repair the equipment, and to service and maintain it so it continues to work. Machinery which needs a lot of attention is brought back to Singleton Hospital.
One key difference the MEMS team have made was by fixing a machine used by consultants to treat children with cataracts. By having the correct equipment working, staff at SZRECC are able to restore sight to five paediatric cataract cases a week.
Without treatment, 60% of blind children in rural Africa die before adulthood, so these developments are not just sight saving, but also lifesaving.
For more information, visit the Swansea Gambia link website www.gambia-swansea-eye-link.org.