Oral Answers to Questions

Marsha De Cordova Excerpts

Tuesday 7th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Steve Barclay]

I apologise to the hon. Lady because she raises a perfectly fair point. I will do all I can to expedite that meeting.

[Marsha De Cordova (Battersea) (Lab)]

11. What assessment his Department has made of the impact of NHS backlogs on eye healthcare.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Neil O’Brien)]

The elective recovery plan sets out how we are tackling backlogs, including in eye care. As well as having over 4,900 more doctors and 11,000 more nurses than last year, we also have 92 community diagnostic centres operational and 89 surgical hubs, and we are boosting capacity in 180 trusts with expanded wards and modular theatres. Two-year waits have been virtually eliminated, and we now aim to eliminate 18-month waits by April.

[Marsha De Cordova]

The backlogs have meant that the number of patients waiting for ophthalmology treatment has increased by 41% in the last three years, and that is over 630,000 people in England. Average waiting times have increased substantially, and the number of patients starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral has dropped to 62%. We know that delays to treatment can and will lead to avoidable sight loss, and we need a plan to tackle the eye care crisis in the NHS. I recently visited the fantastic eye department at St Thomas’s Hospital, which is doing an incredible job in managing this. Will the Minister back my plan for a Bill and visit the brilliant service that it is delivering?

[Neil O’Brien]

This is exactly why we are investing the extra £8 billion in elective recovery. Ophthalmology 52-week waits are coming down from 42,000 to just under 27,000. But can I pay tribute to the hon. Lady for her passion for this subject? We had a Westminster Hall debate the other day and she had to run to be there—such is her passion—but she made it. I thank her for all her work on this matter.