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As many as 500 ophthalmology patients will be referred to the UK for cataract assessment and possibly surgery as part of a £1m scheme to drive down waiting lists, Express has learned.
The Health Department is currently seeking an external provider for the programme, which is will aim to reduce waiting times to under a year.
It comes after it emerged last week that patients were still having to wait around two years for an initial assessment despite several previous attempts to bring down ophthalmology wait times.
A third-party provider should be selected before the end of the year, with the 12-month-long project due to start in the first quarter of 2024.
The department has allocated £989,980 to the project and the supplier would be expected to treat 500 patients.
Pictured: Waiting lists currently stand at 21 months, it was revealed last week.
"Market analysis is complete," explained Director of Improvement and Innovation Anuschka Muller.
"HCS are currently processing with the formation of procuring the supplier. There will then be the need for a procurement strategy and service specification."
Based on this research, they have developed a timeline the supplier would need to follow when treating patients.
After patients are selected from a waiting list, they would receive a telephone assessment with the UK healthcare provider, making sure that they are fit both to fly and to receive surgery.
They would then travel to the UK with a chaperone, receive tests and surgery, as well as post-operative care including a pressure check and removing dressings – and be back in Jersey after three days.
After a telephone follow-up check, the supplier would pass the reins back to Jersey's Health Department.
In the weeks following surgery, tests for inflammation, lens position as well as eye pressure and vision would take place on-island.
Cataracts are a condition where the lens in the eye develops cloudy or frosty patches. It causes patients' eyesight to deteriorate – with symptoms including blurred vision and colours seeming faded.
Often linked to old age, the condition can lead to vision loss.
All cataracts need surgery. While this is generally considered safe, it can lead to complications, which the Health Department's chosen supplier would need to deal with.
Bringing down ophthalmology waiting lists has been a priority for Health for several years.
Amid "pressure" caused by a combination of demand outstripping capacity and challenges caused by the pandemic leading surgeries to stop for a period of time, the Department received funding to recruit more staff in August 2021.
The department spent over £261,444 – inclusive of staff expenses - bringing in an ophthalmic team to the island to help cut down waiting times.
The team included 13 members of staff, including two ophthalmologists and eight nurses or Operating Department Practitioners, split into an outpatient team and a theatre one.
Despite this quarter-of-a-million funding injection, there were more than 500 islanders still awaiting their first ophthalmology appointment in February 2022.
Last week, Express reported that waiting lists within the Department currently stand at 21 months – with cataract patients making up around 90% of those affected.
Pictured: Additional staff have previously been brought in to help cut down waiting times.
Describing this as "completely unacceptable", the Health Minister confirmed that work was underway to rectify this.
She added that the Department is currently advertising for a specialist nurse for the second time, after the first job listing didn't receive a single application.
All patients referred to the UK provider would be from the waiting list - those with appointments already scheduled would not qualify for the scheme.
After referral, patients would be expected to follow these steps:
Pre-travel check: Before leaving the island, patients will have a telephone appointment to make sure that they are ready both to fly and to have the surgery.
Travel to the UK: The patient travels to the UK with their chaperone, where they will then stay in a hotel.
Day one: The patient is brought to the practice by shuttle for a "one-stop" appointment that would include all tests and preparation they need. They are then to be brought directly into the theatre for surgery. The provider selected by Health would be responsible for treating certain complications that can arise at this stage.
Day two: To prepare the patient to go home, they receive tests and any dressing is removed. They are then declared 'Fit to Fly'.
Day three: Back home, the patient will receive a phone call from the provider to have a follow-up health check and make sure there are no complications.
Post-operative review during the weeks following surgery: After they are back in the care of Jersey's health services, the patient will receive follow-ups including checking for inflammation, checking the lens position and eye pressure, along with testing their eyesight.
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