Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce new innovative technologies into the NHS and to assess laser technologies and the impact which they can have on cataract waiting times, efficiency, and capacity management as part of a national cataract strategy.

The Department does not stipulate what surgical techniques should be used. In the absence of positive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance on a particular treatment, it is for National Health Service commissioners to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient’s clinical circumstances.

The commissioning of cataract surgery is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups, and decisions on the use of particular techniques are made locally on the basis of evidence to inform commissioning decisions.

The National Institute for Health Research is funding a clinical trial comparing standard cataract surgery with femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery. The report is expected to be published in 2018.

In light of concerns about lengthy waits for treatment and unacceptable variations in care, the Secretary of State has asked NICE to bring forward its guidance on cataracts from 2018 to 2017. This will provide NHS commissioners with evidence based guidance from NICE and help to ensure patients have access to the most effective treatment as early as possible.