The ophthalmology team at Ninewells is now routinely performing up to 50 cataract procedures in a day following a transformation of the service which started last year.
Before the team introduced their new way of working to deliver ultra high volume surgery, they were carrying out 12 to 14 cataract surgeries in a day. That number first shot up to 32 procedures a day in early 2022, then came the introduction of simultaneous bilateral surgery in October 2022 which saw a phenomenal increase to up to 50 procedures in a day, making the team one of the most productive cataract services in the UK.
Bilateral surgery can be carried out if a patient has cataracts in both eyes, removing both cataracts at one appointment. Since around 60% of patients require surgery on both eyes, this is making a big difference to the waiting lists as the number of appointments required for each patient is reduced, allowing more people to be seen more quickly.
Surgical Consultant Ophthalmologist Dr John Ellis said, “As a result of this high volume surgical approach, I’m very pleased to report that the waiting times in Tayside are the lowest they have been in over two years, and we expect this number to keep dropping as we continue to innovate.
“Patients are benefiting from this new way of working with a shorter overall journey time from being referred to being seen and this means they have their sight restored sooner, which has a major impact on people’s lives.
“I believe this performance level makes Tayside one of the top three the most productive cataract services in the UK, which is really great news for our patients.
“We are very happy to share how we work with other colleagues and have had visitors from a number of centres across the UK interested in hearing about our improvements. We are not resting on our laurels either as the team is now working on a number of other measures which we expect will bring waiting times down even further.”
NHS Tayside Chief Executive, Professor Grant Archibald, said, “Patients in Tayside are reaping the rewards of the hard work of the ophthalmology team, who continue to push for further improvement to their service. I applaud them for their ongoing dedication.
“Cataract surgery is 98% successful and only takes about 10 minutes per eye to perform, yet it can absolutely transform someone’s life and give them back their independence.
“I am hugely proud of the team’s performance, showing once more that NHS Tayside teams are in the vanguard of innovation and improvements which is benefiting the health of our population.”