Concerns have been raised that around 80,000 people who are at the highest risk of irreversible sight loss are waiting beyond their target date for an appointment
In Wales, over 80,000 people are at a high risk of irreversible sight loss, with eye care accounting for 1 in every 8 patients on a Welsh NHS list.
Yet over the past decade, referrals to ophthalmic services have increased by over 50%, but their workforce has stayed the same. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists estimates that demand for eye-care services in Wales is expected to increase by 40 per cent over the next 20 years.
In the Senedd this week (02/10/24), the Welsh Conservatives brought forward a Senedd motion calling on the Welsh Government to take urgent action to prevent irreversible sight loss and adopt the recommendations of the National Clinical Strategy for Ophthalmology.
The Welsh Conservatives also called on the Welsh Labour Government to set out targets and deadlines for improving waiting-list backlogs, ensuring patients waiting receive communication about their clinical risk; and publish a timetable for the development and rollout of the electronic patient record and referral system.
Montgomeryshire Senedd Member, Russell George MS, who also Chairs the Health and Social Care Committee in the Welsh Parliament, spoke in the debate and called for the Welsh Government to accept the recommendations of the national clinical strategy for ophthalmology and commit to making the necessary investment to prevent the wholesale collapse of eyecare services across Wales.
Commenting after the debate, Mr George said:
“Eye care is the single busiest outpatient speciality in the Welsh NHS, accounting for 1 in every 8 patients on an NHS waiting list.
“Regretfully, the biggest increase in the number of patients waiting over a year was in ophthalmology.
“In the Senedd this week, as Welsh Conservative we put forward a factual motion and made recommendations to the Government. Sadly, the Welsh Government did not support our calls.”
The Royal National Institute of Blind People is the UK's leading sight loss charity. They offer practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers.
Also commenting, RNIB Cymru’s External Affairs Manager, Nathan Owen, said:
“Over 80,000 eye care patients at the highest risk of irreversible sight loss are waiting too long for their appointments. Sadly, for many who do lose some, or all, of their sight, this could have been avoided if they were seen on time.
“The amount of people now at risk of losing their sight would fill the Principality Stadium to capacity.”
“This is why RNIB Cymru is calling on Welsh Government to listen to healthcare professionals and commit to real change in our eye care services now. Because each month that passes without a commitment to improve eye care sees hundreds of people added to waiting lists and the hope of tackling this crisis slips further out of reach. We want a Wales where anyone whose sight could be saved with timely treatment has access to the care they need, when they need it.”
