Cataract Operations and waiting lists (FOI)

​Request

Could you please tell me:

1. How many people are currently (as at end August) waiting for an initial appointment at the Jersey hospital eye clinic since being referred by an optician or GP for a cataract?

2. What was the average (median) waiting time for people to have their initial appointment in the Jersey eye clinic in July and August 2024, from the point in time of a referral being received by their optician or GP for cataracts? And what was the wait time for the 90th percentile person?

3. How many people are currently (as at end August) on the waiting list for cataract surgery having already had their initial appointment at the eye clinic in Jersey?

4. What was the average (median) total waiting time for people to have had their cataract operation in Jersey in July and August 2024 from the point in time of being referred by their optician or GP for cataracts? And what was the wait time for the 90th percentile person?

5. What was the average (median) total waiting time for people to have had their cataract operation in the Southampton clinic in July and August 2024 from the point in time of being referred to the Jersey eye clinic by their optician or GP for cataracts? And what was the waiting time for the 90th percentile person?

6. On average, how many cataract operations are done in Jersey each week?

7. On average, how many cataract operations are sent to be done in Southampton each week?

8. On average, how many new referrals are received at the eye clinic for cataracts each week?

Response

1

It is not possible to provide data specific to those awaiting an appointment following referral for cataracts as at the end of August 2024. Though this level of recording specificity has recently been introduced within Health and Community Services (HCS), time is required for it to embed. Therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

As at the end of August 2024, there were 1,178 patients on the waiting list for a first outpatient appointment with the Ophthalmology department of Jersey General Hospital.

2

As noted above, HCS is currently unable to provide condition-specific waiting time data. Therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

Waiting times for those who attended a first outpatient appointment with Ophthalmology in July or August 2024 are detailed in Table 1. For patients treated in Southampton, their first appointment in Jersey is for post-treatment follow-up. It is not possible to differentiate these appointments from the reported data.

Table 1

​Data Source: Hospital Patient Administration System (Outpatient Activity report, Referrals report)

Median Waiting Time: The median wait is calculated by arranging each patient's waiting time in order, and then selecting the waiting time of the person at the mid-point of that order.  It indicates that half of the patients waited less than the shown number of weeks and half of the patients waited longer.

90th Percentile: The 90th percentile is the maximum number of weeks waited by 90% of the patients. It indicates that 90% of the patients have been waiting less than the number of weeks shown in this column.

3

390 patients were listed as awaiting cataract surgery at the end of August 2024.

4

Waiting times for those who underwent public elective cataract surgery at Jersey General Hospital during July and August 2024 are detailed in Tables 2 and 3, by wait from referral date and by wait from date added to the elective surgical list respectively.

Table 2

Waiting times from date of referral to operation date​

​Data Source: Hospital Patient Administration System (Theatres Activity report, Referrals report)

Table 3

Waiting times from date added to the elective surgery list to operation date

​Data Source: Hospital Patient Administration System (Theatres Activity report, Elective Additions report)

5

Waiting times for patients who underwent cataract surgery in Southampton in July and August 2024 are detailed in Table 4.

It should be noted that not all patients awaiting cataract surgery are clinically suitable to receive treatment off-island. Additionally, patients who are suitable may prefer to have their surgery in Jersey and choose to remain on the local waiting list.

The Southampton commissioned service commenced in March 2024. Of the patients assessed as clinically suitable to access off-island cataract treatment, those with the longest waits for surgery were treated as a priority, in the period preceding July 2024.

Table 4

​Data Source: New Medica Referrals

6

From 01 September 2023 to 31 August 2024, an average of 10.3 public elective cataract operations were performed at Jersey General Hospital, per week.

​7

On average, 8 people are sent to Southampton for cataract surgery, per week.

8

As noted above, HCS is currently unable to provide condition-specific referral data. Therefore, Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

From 01 September 2023 to 31 August 2024, Ophthalmology received an average of 67 public referrals each week.

Article applied

Article 3        Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.​