Milton Keynes patients face UK's longest wait for eye surgery
Milton Keynes has been identified as the hardest place in the country to access NHS eye care and surgery, data shows.
An analysis of NHS performance figures reveals waiting times for Ophthalmology are now now exceeding a year at the city hospital.
Health data analysts at WeCovr analysed the latest NHS Referral to Treatment (RTT) dataset to reveal that, while the national picture is mixed, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has fallen to the bottom of the league table for eye services.
The ‘Postcode Lottery in Vision’ shows a stark disparity between patients in Milton Keynes and those just an hour away:
At MKUH the 92nd percentile wait for Ophthalmology is 53 weeks while in Walsall the wait is just 16 weeks for the same sight-saving proceedures.
WeCovr experts say ophthalmology waiting lists are dominated by patients needing cataract surgery, which should be carried out as soon as possible.
"Unlike a sore knee, cataracts do not pause while you wait; they harden and vision deteriorates,” said a spokesperson.
A year-long wait can mean loss of driving licence due to poor vision, an increased risk of falls for elderly patients, and could have significant impact on independence and mental health.
The spokesperson said: "The data suggests that the 'national' backlog is actually a series of severe local bottlenecks.
"For residents of Milton Keynes, the crisis is specifically acute in eye care. Facing a 53-week wait for a routine operation that takes 20 minutes to perform is a devastating blow for patients trying to maintain their independence."
The report highlights that patients in Milton Keynes do not have to accept this delay. Under the NHS "Right to Choose" legislation, any patient facing a long wait can request to be referred to a different NHS provider with shorter waiting times, such as Walsall (16 weeks) or other providers with capacity.
To help patients navigate this disparity, WeCovr has launched a free NHS Waitlist Search Engine. This tool allows the public to search their specific local hospital and department to see the exact backlog they face compared to the national average.
WeCovr is a UK-based insurtech committed to improving people’s lives with insurance solutions.