Southend Hospital's eye unit will introduce a new partial booking system to avoid losing vital appointments through cancellations and non-attendance.

The new system will give patients the ability to choose appointments which suit them meaning that, in most cases, patients will be seen more quickly.

The new partial booking system will also allow the eye clinics to be better organised with less cancellations and appointment no-shows.

From June, if a patient's eye appointment is more than six weeks away they will be added to the new booking system and will receive a letter to explain the changes and what will happen next.