South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has been successful in a bid totalling £36 million to create a new eye hospital in Sunderland.
The planning application was approved by Sunderland City Council to replace the existing Sunderland Eye Infirmary, now 75 years old.
It means the new hospital in Sunderland will be the only dedicated standalone eye hospital for ophthalmology care and is expected to open in 2024.
Ken Bremner MBE, Chief Executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to see our ambition to create a world-class eye hospital in Sunderland take this important step forward. This is excellent news for our team at Sunderland Eye Infirmary and for the many patients who access our specialist eye services from across the whole region.
“We could not have got this far without the involvement and feedback from our patients, partners and of course our fantastic staff. Their expertise and input has been invaluable and is helping us to create an innovative facility that will provide the highest standards of care for our patients for generations to come.
“As we move into the next exciting phase and start see our new eye hospital take shape, we will continue to involve people to make sure the building meets to needs of everyone who will use it.”
For more information please see: www.stsft.nhs.uk/neweyehospital.
