Cataract surgery waiting times cut with mobile ophthalmology theatres

In order to accommodate the growing number of patients requiring cataract operations, Cardiff and the Vale University Health Board (UHB) had to innovate the way services were delivered to reduce waiting times and improve outcomes for patients.

In order to treat patients critically ill with COVID-19, the difficult decision was made to pause many of our elective treatments. This resulted in a significant number of patients waiting for procedures including cataract operations, and in order to reduce these waiting times, the Health Board identified an opportunity to improve access to eye care services.

To reduce the overall number of patients waiting for day surgery, the Health Board took a targeted approach identifying that the new ophthalmic hub would significantly reduce the number of patients waiting for cataract operations. After successfully securing funding from Welsh Government in 2021, the Health Board was able to establish two state-of-the-art mobile ophthalmology theatres at University Hospital of Wales (UHW).

The temporary theatres were built and operationalised in just nine months, with teams from across all disciplines working together to help restore activity to pre-pandemic levels and beyond. The team are working to increase cataract activity through the mobile theatres from 138 patients per month to 400 per month on average.

Miss Siene Ng, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinical Lead for the Mobile Theatres project said: “This exciting development has been a significant step for us on our journey to improve clinical services for patients and help restore some normality not only for our staff but also for our patients who have been waiting for treatment.”

The bespoke theatres house a reception, consultation room, staff wellbeing facilities and short-stay ward. This allows the entire patient journey to take place within the hub, with no need to visit the main hospital building enabling an efficient and safe flow of patients.

The mobile theatres are just one of a number of initiatives being progressed across the Health Board to reduce waiting times. Across our eye care services more patients are being seen as a result of teams maximising the use of digital advancements, increasing training for optometrists and specialist nurses and working collaboratively to provide more services in a community setting.

This work is one of a number of projects being supported by the Health Board’s Recovery and Redesign programme, which aims to restore services impacted by the pandemic, transform clinical pathways and in doing so, enhance services for patients by increasing activity and improving access to care.

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