Kingston's screening to prevent blindness "way behind"

2.24.00pm GMT Mon 18th Jun 2007

Kingston PCT has been sharply criticised by Kingston and Surbiton's Liberal Democrat MP, Edward Davey, for their "gross failure" to deliver on a vital screening programme for diabetics, designed to prevent blindness.

Kingston's PCT was supposed to have offered screening to at least 80% of local diabetics, as part of a national programme to detect the early signs of blindness that diabetes can sometimes cause, but by the end of March this year had only managed 51%.

Edward Davey has continually raised this problem with the PCT over the last 6 months, but has decided to go public with his criticism following a recent meeting with local members of the Kingston and District Diabetic Group (KDDG). He has launched a joint survey of local opticians, to review the local capacity to provide the necessary diabetic retinopathy screening, written to the PCT and Hospital, with a series of questions to uncover what actions have actually been taken, and raised these local failures with the Secretary of State for Health. Commenting Edward Davey said:

"This should not be a question of cost - because the PCT have been given the cash to deliver this.

"I am amazed at the local health service's inability to deliver what ought to be a simple programme.

"If preventing avoidable blindness is not high enough on the PCT's priority list, it's time it was.

"My discussions with local diabetics have convinced me that we needed urgent action, so I've organised a survey of local opticians to gather the type of information needed to get this programme going, and I've challenged the PCT to tell me what organisation they actually have in place.

"I hope by raising this at the highest level and by kick-starting the research we need, we will at last see some results."