South Tyneside Healthpathways
Care navigation site for Health professionals for South Tyneside CCG patients.
Community Optometry Assessment
Log in information is available from the member’s area of our website. Once logged in ‘click’ on the home picture in the top LH corner to take you to the main page. From there, it’s possible to search for services such as smoking cessation, falls support, low vision support, etc.
Living with Sight Loss
Local Sight Loss support charities can be found here
What’s an ECLO?
Based in hospital eye clinics, Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ECLOs) offer practical and emotional support to people living with a sight condition, their families and carers. The ECLO can provide advice on a range of matters, including:
- Living with an eye condition or sight loss
- Education, employment, housing and leisure
- Eye conditions and treatment information
- Maintaining independence
- Details of latest aids, equipment and technology
- Benefits and concessions that patients could be entitled to
- Emotional support
- The advantages of certification and registration.
A patient’s eye care journey is individual and unpredictable. The ECLO is available with an offer of support through times of change providing early intervention, maximising potential to reduce long term care needs and addressing the issues of emotional wellbeing and quality of life.
People with any level of sight can be referred. They, or their families or carers, may need support just once; several times in one year or a few times over several years.
The ECLO provides a one-stop-shop but like other one-stop-shops people are welcome to visit more than once.
ECLO services in the North East of England are some of the most established services in the UK. Some services have now been running for over 20 years. We are based at:
Royal Victoria Infirmary & Newcastle Hospitals@Cramlington ECLOs:
nuth.eclo@nhs.net – 0191 2820221
Dawn Rafferty – Monday to Wednesday
Dave Donnelly – Monday to Friday
Sunderland Eye Infirmary & Durham Diagnostic and Treatment Centre ECLOs:
stsft.seieclo@nhs.net – 0191 5699915
Andrea Hird –Tuesday to Friday
Jackie Kent – Monday
James Cook & The Friarage ECLO:
01642 850850 ext 52065
Angela Bedingfield – in Eye Outpatients Monday to Thursday and The Friarage, Northallerton on Fridays
Durham & Darlington ECLO:
michael.ferguson3@nhs.net – 07740501158
Mike Ferguson – currently based in University Hospital of North Durham on Thursdays and home working the remainder of the week, but usually based at Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bishop Auckland Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham.
There also 2 Regional Locum ECLOs providing clinic cover for ECLO absences, and supporting service reach remotely for email and telephone referrals across the region.