Bargain Hunt star Kate Bliss hosts community event to celebrate local eye hospital’s first birthday

Taking place on Thursday 24 July 2025, leading NHS ophthalmology service provider SpaMedica will welcome the public to a celebration event at its hospital at Shore House, North Harbour Business Park.

Visitors will be treated to free ice cream and refreshments, and have the chance to win prizes in a ‘Spin the Wheel’ giveaway. The event, from 11am, will include an official welcome, followed by the ‘Valuation Station’ with antiques expert Kate Bliss, open until 1pm.

The celebration day offers the local community an opportunity to learn more about the NHS eye care services available at SpaMedica Portsmouth, which opened its doors one year ago.

Based in Cosham, the hospital is well positioned to enable access to eye care for thousands of local residents. Like one Portsmouth patient, who explains: “My first appointment was just seven days after my referral… they did both my eyes within two months. All the staff were super friendly, reassuring and made me feel at ease.”

Six weeks on from their surgery, the patient described the tremendous change in their eyesight: “The difference is amazing, my eyesight feels about 25 years younger.”

SpaMedica Portsmouth Hospital Manager Clive Shepherd-Wraight says: “With over 14% of Portsmouth’s population aged 65 and above, this hospital helps meets rising demand for age-related eye care - which is key to preserving independence and quality of life.

“The good news is we can offer cataract surgery within just four to eight weeks of referral, compared to a national target of 18 weeks. After launching our glaucoma service earlier this year, we’re helping support the NHS to reduce waiting times for a range of eye conditions.

“We’re very proud of the feedback we’ve received since opening in the area. In fact, we’ve received an average rating of five stars from patients who have reviewed our care.”

When MP for Portsmouth North, Amanda Martin, officially opened the site last year, she said: “I was delighted to visit SpaMedica’s new eye hospital and receive such a warm welcome from the team, which is already providing high-quality treatment to patients across the region.

“It’s wonderful to hear that SpaMedica is working closely with the NHS to help reduce local waiting times for cataract surgery and I’m sure many of our constituents will benefit from this fantastic facility.”

SpaMedica recently became the first healthcare provider in the UK to offer free, unrestricted transport for NHS cataract patients, helping improve equity of access for people from all backgrounds.

It operates 64 hospitals across the UK, each one supporting faster diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions like cataracts, posterior capsule opacification, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma.