Cataract patients could go to the UK for faster treatment

Non-urgent cataract operations were put on hold in May, with ophthalmology services facing major recruitment issues that were not going to be resolved for more than 12 months.

Jersey, which had a similar problem with its waiting list, announced in September it would be sending 10 patients a week to Southampton for treatment, covering NHS charges as well as flights and accommodation costs.

Health & Social Care said in a joint statement with the Medical Specialist Group yesterday that they were actively working together to reduce the waiting list.

‘We are at an advanced stage of negotiations with a private company to provide a similar arrangement for cataracts surgery that is currently available to Jersey patients, which would give Guernsey patients the option to travel to Southampton for their treatment and be home within 36 hours,’ a spokeswoman said.

‘This would be a cost-effective solution for Guernsey while also ensuring a good clinical outcome for patients. We are unable to comment further at this stage but hope to make a positive announcement in October.’

Cataracts occur due to protein changes in the lens of the eye, with the lens becoming cloudy, affecting vision – they often develop in old age or due to injury.

In the UK the condition affects about 3,800 per 100,000 people every year, which would mean there would be about 2,300 people in Guernsey with the condition. Surgery is the only effective treatment.

A 78-year-old patient spoken to by the Guernsey Press was diagnosed in September 2023 and was told he would have to wait over a year for an operation. He was pleased to hear new options were being explored.

‘Both my eyes need doing, although one is worse than the other, my vision is quite blurry,’ he said.

‘I looked into going private but the £3,000 cost is beyond my means. The sooner I can get them done the better as I keep bumping into things.’

However he added, when it came to the length of the waiting list, MSG had dug themselves into a ‘big hole’.

‘They messed up the staffing, they knew one person was retiring and another leaving. And left it to the last minute to advertise for replacements.’

MSG has struggled to keep up with demand after one consultant left at short notice, another retired and a third went on long-term leave.

This left just one permanent consultant, with the support of experienced but ‘intermittent’ locum ophthalmologists.

MSG chairman Dr Steve Evans said that waiting times remained longer than they would like.

‘This is why we are working closely with HSC on an initiative to give some patients the option of travelling to the UK for treatment,’ he said. ‘Thanks to huge efforts from our ophthalmology team I'm pleased to say that we were able to start seeing and treating cataract patients again in July. We have also this week introduced a communal waiting list so that patients who are listed for surgery will be given a choice of surgery either with the consultant they have met or with the consultant with the shortest waiting list.’