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Jersey Cataract Wait: 4 Years for 15-Minute Fix
16 Sep
Summary
- Patients wait over four years for a simple, quick cataract operation.
- Operations scheduled and cancelled on the day leave patients frustrated.
- Hundreds of patients sent to the UK to reduce island waiting lists.
Elizabeth de Ferre, a 70-year-old from Jersey, has endured a four-year wait for cataract surgery, rendering her unable to read, cross roads safely, or drive. Her frustration mounted as four operations were scheduled and subsequently cancelled, with the most recent two cancelled on the very day they were set to occur. This lengthy delay is unacceptable, according to Mohamed Elalfy, President of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, who notes that such waits are unheard of even in England.
Health and Care Jersey's Chief Operating Officer, Claire Thompson, acknowledged that "some Islanders have waited too long" and that they are working to reduce waiting times. Despite efforts to send 400 patients to the UK for procedures between 2024 and 2025, 653 patients on the island still waited over a year for surgery. Thompson assured that recruiting additional permanent and short-term clinical staff specializing in cataract surgery is underway, aiming to improve outpatient waiting times.
