Publish date: 12 March 2025
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT) is able to accept out-of-area optometrist referrals for patients through its dedicated Cataract Fast-Track patient pathway.
For patients whose GP is registered in England it means that cataract surgery is available in just a few weeks if they are referred via an optometrist to MCHFT.
The service is consultant-led with patients being seen at the Victoria Infirmary Northwich, which has dedicated new ophthalmic rooms, meaning a faster and more streamlined pathway, better patient experiences, and a consistently high quality of care.
MCHFT is also able to deliver referral to surgery in three weeks or less if patients can attend.
Among the patients to benefit from the Trust’s out-of-area ophthalmology service is Ian Crooks from Newcastle under Lyme, in Staffordshire.
Ian said: “I had an eye test about two years ago and it showed I had a cataract on one eye, but it was too small at the time to do anything about it. Then at my most recent eye test I was told there had been a deterioration and I now had cataracts on both eyes.
“I couldn’t receive my care locally but I was told that I could refer myself to other NHS services outside of Staffordshire. I chose Leighton Hospital as a dedicated fast track pathway was available.
“From that point, everything moved very quickly. I first had a phone consultation, followed by a face-to-face consultation. I then chose to have the surgery on my first eye just 10 days later.
“The post-operative check-up was done with my local optician, and then a week later I received a date from Leighton Hospital for the surgery on my second eye.
“The speed of treatment, from initial consultation to surgery, has been very quick and efficient. It’s made a huge difference to my life, and I’m really happy with the care I received from the team at Leighton Hospital.”
To complement its existing services, MCHFT is due to open the Cheshire & Merseyside Surgical Centre at the Victoria Infirmary in Northwich in a couple of months. It will provide state-of-the-art facilities for delivering day case surgery for patients within Cheshire and Merseyside. The centre will have a dedicated operating theatre for cataracts and ophthalmic injection suite for intraocular and AMD injections
It is the ambition of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT) that the facility becomes a cataract centre of excellence, and a regional hub for outstanding cataract care.
The surgical centre will offer a dedicated fast track cataract pathway for NHS patients, with surgeons from MCHFT and the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust treating patients on the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board’s first regional waiting list.
Visit the Ophthalmology page on the MCHFT website for further details about the Trust’s eye care services.
