The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Specialist equipment donated to the NHS by a local charity to support people to access eye clinics is now in place at Spalding’s Johnson Community Hospital.
The Visual Fields machine is used to measure a person’s entire visual field – the range of what you
can see above, below, and on either side of you while your gaze is fixed on a central point directly
in front of you.
It can identify blind spots, as well as loss of peripheral (side) vision.
The purchase of the kit, worth more than £33,500, has been made with thanks to the Spalding-
based Pennygate Patient Link. It’s charity shop recently closed after being initially set up to provide funds for the former Pennygate Surgery which has moved to the hospital.
The charity donated approximately £70,000 to a wealth of good causes, including services at
Johnson Community Hospital, during 2020 before it was wound down.
Sally Brown, Outpatients department clinical team lead for Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, said: “We are very grateful to the volunteers from Pennygate Patient Link and the public who have generously chosen to support our local NHS services.
“This purchase will allow us to continue to develop and grow the range of ophthalmology services available locally in Spalding, meaning care remains available closer to home.”
On behalf of Pennygate Patient Link, Angela Newton said: “It was fantastic to come to the hospital and see the Visual Fields machine as this is money raised for the community going back to the community.”
