From 1 April 2024, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Milton Keynes University Hospital will be the lead providers for the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK).
This service will run alongside the existing Buckinghamshire Diabetic Eye Screening service.
Patients will be seen by the service most appropriate for them and the clinic they attend will be based on the location of their GP surgery. The introduction of the new BLMK DESP service will increase accessibility of the vital screening programme for residents across the region, and will enable us to deliver a single, efficient, effective, and standardised service across the whole of BLMK.
Patients who currently have an appointment for diabetic eye screening will need to attend their appointment as usual. New patients who are referred to the service from 1st April 2024 will be seen in the area closest to them, based on the location of their GP surgery.
Patients do not need to do anything differently as they will be contacted as normal for their regular diabetic eye screening appointments.
A dedicated website for the BLMK DES programme has been set up, containing information for both GPs and patients, this website can be found here – https://www.blmkdiabeticeyescreening.nhs.uk/
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your GP.