Professional Matters Optometry & Dispensing
The Senedd’s Health and Social Care committee publishes report on ophthalmology services in Wales
The Senedd’s Health and Social Care committee has published a report on ophthalmology services in Wales.
It highlights that over 80,000 patients at high risk of sight loss are waiting too long for treatment.
The committee urges the Welsh Government to implement its National Clinical Strategy for Ophthalmology to address workforce shortages and slow progress, warning that delays put more people at risk of unnecessary sight loss.
The report emphasizes the need for urgent action, including clear accountability, proper investment, and a focus on patient safety.
Urgent action needed:
The report states that while a strategy exists, the Welsh Government has been slow to act, and urgent implementation is required.
- Risk to patients: Over 80,000 patients with the greatest risk of permanent sight loss are waiting longer than their target date for treatment, risking unnecessary deterioration of their vision.
- Workforce and demand issues: The inquiry identifies a significant workforce shortage and notes that demand for services is predicted to increase by 40% over the next 20 years.
- Calls for investment: The committee calls for investment in workforce training, digital infrastructure, and clinical networks to improve access and efficiency.
- Patient experiences: The report includes patient stories to underscore the stress and fear caused by delays in treatment, using these experiences as a catalyst for change.
Comment on Inquiry into Ophthalmology Services in Wales by Specsavers
Specsavers director of professional advancement Paul Morris says: ‘This report sets out how community optometry is playing an important role in delivering vital access to eye care for patients in Wales.
‘It also notes the impact that reform of primary care optometry is reducing pressure on hospital eyecare services in Wales. More than 3,000 appointments per month are moving across into the community, releasing capacity in secondary care.’
He adds: ‘As Specsavers, we are proud to be part of the solution and will continue to play our part in making a key difference in the lives of the people of Wales.’
Response from Newmedica
Addressing ophthalmology waiting lists in Wales
Newmedica has welcomed the recommendation from the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee to increase the transparency of ophthalmology waiting list data in Wales.
The committee’s latest report on ophthalmology services says that waiting list information should be recorded at a sub-specialty level ‘to inform effective service planning, support smarter resource allocation and help to reduce patient harm’.
Welcoming the proposal, Karen Croker, Contracting and Managed Services Director at Newmedica, says: ‘In our submission to the committee’s inquiry, we called for chronic ophthalmology care waiting lists to be published. Such a move would speed up organisational reform and service efficiency.
‘Follow-up waiting lists must no longer be hidden from scrutiny. NHS Wales should mandate all ophthalmology providers to publish the number of patients waiting for follow-up outpatient appointments.’
The importance of collaboration between independent providers and Welsh Health Boards is also highlighted in Newmedica’s submission. ‘Welsh Health Boards are doing some great work in ophthalmology but also face immense pressures faced in this specialty,’ says Ms Croker.
‘Newmedica is proud to be working with Health Boards to address these pressures and provide access to care and treatment at our centres across the border in England. By building on this collaboration on a long-term and sustainable basis, we can ease pressure on emergency and specialist services – helping reduce waiting times with high-quality patient care.’
As the sole independent provider submitting evidence, Newmedica also addressed the challenges arising from Wales’s ageing population and the corresponding need for regular monitoring to detect asymptomatic eye conditions.
‘A lack of specialist consultants and short-term commissioning arrangements focused on meeting in-year financial targets mean that long-term value for money and slowing disease progression are inadvertently deprioritised.
‘At Newmedica, our consultant-led teams train and develop ophthalmic technicians to collect diagnostic data remotely reviewed by consultants – an approach that supports efficiency and clinical standards.’
Newmedica is also recommending expanding successful cross-border arrangements to facilitate Welsh patient access to available NHS capacity in England.
‘Sometimes the difference of a street one lives on denies Welsh patients access to English capacity. Expanding these cross-border arrangements will improve access for those able and willing to travel for elective care.’
Ms Croker says that it is common sense to make best use of capacity where it is available. ‘Joint working has already demonstrated benefits. We encourage both UK and Welsh governments to prioritize this approach for the benefit of patients on both sides of the border.’
She also notes Newmedica facilities along the English-Welsh border – including Cheshire Oaks, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Bristol, and Gloucester. ‘We recommend that patients see the right clinician, in the right place at the right time,’ says Ms Croker.
