THE former chairman of a health watchdog fears staff at a Redditch eye unit are still under "severe pressure", despite recent improvements.

Councillor David McGrath, who recently underwent an eye operation at the Alexandra Hospital, said the lead consultant at the ophthalmology department was still working well into the evening with very little support.

Mr McGrath, who was the former chairman of the recently disbanded Bromsgrove and Redditch Community Health Council, said: "He is trying to cope but is working all the hours in the day."

At a crunch review meeting into Worcestershire's ophthalmology services in December, health chiefs promised to address the problem of staff shortage at the Redditch hospital.

Mr McGrath acknowledged improvements had since been made to cut waiting times in the unit.

But he said even more changes were needed to ease the "severe pressure" on the lead consultant.

But a spokeswoman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the county's hospitals, said a full-time consultant was set to replace the present part-time eye specialist, who will be moving to Worcester and Kidderminster.

Two additional staff grade doctors have also been appointed, giving a total of three doctors dividing their working time between the Alexandra Hospital and Bromsgrove's Princess of Wales Hospital.