Eye department wins award for excellence in teaching

The eye department at St Thomas’ has been awarded the Elisabeth Paice Award for Educational Excellence ‘Best Secondary Care Department’ in recognition of its outstanding commitment and contributions to postgraduate dental and medical education in London.

Professor Chris Hammond, consultant ophthalmologist in the St Thomas’ eye department, said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised for being leaders in educating health professionals. We need outstanding training to ensure our patients, as well as patients in other hospitals, receive the best possible care for their eye problems.”

The eye department is one of the largest in the South Thames region and its staff teach nurses, ophthalmologists, optometrists, medical students and doctors, both within the hospital, and at regional and national events.

Their work also extends to other countries, and they have built links with the eye department at Muhimbili University Hospital in Tanzania. Two trainees recently went to help set up equipment and facilitate research at the hospital. The department also welcomed doctors from Tanzania to St Thomas’ and trained them to use new technology.

The award was collected by Dr Omar Mahroo and Professor Miles Stanford on behalf of the department at the London Deanery annual conference.