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A £1m scheme which will see 500 local ophthalmology patients referred to the UK for cataract treatment in a bid to drive down waiting lists is set to begin this month.
It is planned that the first cataract patient will be treated by the outsourced solution on the 21 March 2024.
The 12-month project was announced in November after it emerged that patients were still having to wait around two years for an initial assessment despite several previous attempts to bring down ophthalmology wait times.
Pictured: There are currently 1191 patients on the ophthalmology waiting list.
The most recent statistics – published ahead of the Health and Community Services Advisory Board meeting last month – showed that there are almost 1,200 patients on the current ophthalmology waiting list.
Of these patients, 375 have waited between six months and one year so far, and 243 have already waited over a year for a first appointment.
The board papers also reveal that the ophthalmology department "continues to have additional theatre sessions and agreed overruns" to tackle to waiting lists.
As part of the external scheme, 10 patients per week will travel to the UK for their surgery.
The Health department has allocated £989,980 to the project and the supplier is expected to treat 500 patients over the course of one year.
It is planned that the first cataract patient will be treated by the outsourced solution on the 21 March.
The board papers explain that "once take up and removal of cataract patients has commenced, there will be a clearer understanding of the true new waiting list picture and trajectory of improvement".
Pictured: Additional staff have previously been brought in to help cut down waiting times.
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.
In October, Express reported that waiting lists within the Department currently stand at 21 months – with cataract patients making up around 90% of those affected.
Describing this as "completely unacceptable", then-Health Minister Karen Wilson 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 will 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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