Mobile cataract units set up in England

Mobile cataract units set up in England

NHS England has publicised a new mobile cataract suite in Stoke Mandeville Hospital grounds in Buckinghamshire that is helping to reduce waiting times. The mobile unit enables the Trust to perform 80-100 additional cataract operations a week.

In Devon, the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter also offers various ophthalmology services to local people. At the same time, in Newcastle, the Westgate Cataract Centre can perform up to 1,000 cataract procedures a month – nearly double pre-coronavirus figures.

To address Covid backlogs and reduce long waits for patients, NHS national medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, said: “Local NHS areas are adopting creative innovations to ensure patients are getting the care they need”, including “mobile units doing cataract operations”.