More than 25,000 cataract surgeries have been successfully delivered across South-East Wales in just twelve months, improving patient care and significantly reducing waiting lists by almost 10,000 patients.
The day surgery, which is generally completed within an hour, involves replacing a cloudy natural eye lens with a clear, artificial one. With an exceptional demand for cataract treatment prevalent across the area, the Regional Ophthalmology Programme saw teams from Aneurin Bevan, Cardiff and Vale, and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Boards come together in 2023 to review how to combine resources and increase the amount of cataract surgery undertaken.
Following a 12-week public engagement period to seek patients’ views on the proposed plans, the programme developed two regional cataracts ‘hubs’ to provide additional clinical capacity – one in the North of the catchment area at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, and another in the South at University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff.
Alongside the hubs’ activity, the programme was backed by an additional £19.5 million of Welsh Government funding in April 2025 to further tackle cataract waiting lists by outsourcing to independent providers across Wales and England. With an ambitious target of outsourcing 12,930 cataract treatments between April 2025 and March 2026, the programme not only met but exceeded its target; delivering 12,976 sight-restoring surgeries across a network of five specialist providers.
This additional activity, when combined with the existing cataract treatment performed across each of the three Health Boards and both regional hubs, resulted in a total of 25,633 surgeries between April 2025 and March 2026 (with a proportion of patients receiving treatment in both eyes).
The impact of this work has been substantial in helping to speed up patients’ waiting times; reducing the cataracts waiting list by more than 9,600 people.
Rhianon Reynolds, the Programme’s Regional Clinical Lead and National Clinical Lead for Ophthalmology, said:
“Our teams have worked extremely hard to deliver this ambitious programme. Despite the scale and pace of delivery, which was equivalent to two years of routine activity compressed into twelve months, we ensured that the programme maintained strong clinical oversight and patient-focused care throughout. We’re really pleased to have consistently received positive patient feedback for the regional hubs and our external partners.”
Hannah Evans, Executive Director of Strategy, Planning and Partnerships at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said:
“This work set out to improve equity of access to cataract surgery across the Health Boards and provide timely, safe and high-quality care. I’m delighted to see the significant impact on patients’ waiting times and experiences and would like to thank our Health Board colleagues and external partners for their dedication and support in delivering this programme.”
“While demand for cataract surgery across the region remains high, the regional programme has made major progress in improving access to cataract surgery and building a stronger, more resilient system for the future.”
