HEALTH chiefs conceded this week that Andover did not get a brand new eye machine for removing cataracts - Winchester did.

Last week the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust announced that Andover War Memorial Hospital now had a new £70,000 phaco emulsification machine, which meant eye patients would be treated even quicker.

But it transpires that Winchester got the new machine while Andover got 'the slightly older machine that had been used at Winchester'.

A spokeswoman said this week: "Andover's original phaco emulsification machine was very old and was beginning to break down.

It's technology was considered to be out of date and it needed replacing.

"The hospitals looked at the overall resource for both Andover and Winchester hospitals and took into account how many cataract procedures were being done in each hospital.

It was decided to buy a new machine and split the new equipment between the two hospitals."

Winchester was given the new machine but kept the older handsets, the instruments connected to the phaco machine that are used to emulsify and remove the cataract.

Andover was given the brand new handsets and Winchester's older machine.

The phaco emulsification machine given to Andover had been upgraded to include the latest version of software.

"This means that Winchester and Andover now have the same equipment which is totally compatible," said the spokeswoman.

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