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A new hub for planned eye surgery at Edgware Community Hospital will see an additional 3,000 procedures carried out every year across the sector, reducing waiting times for some patients who need sight-saving operations.
The hub, run by the Royal Free London (RFL), primarily provides treatment for adults who have common, low complexity conditions such as cataracts. It brings together some eye procedures that were carried out by our clinicians at Chase Farm Hospital (CFH), the Royal Free Hospital (RFH), and Whittington Health NHS Trust.
Other complex eye surgeries that may need additional medical support, equipment or input from other specialist clinicians such as plastics and paediatrics, will remain at both CFH and the RFH.
Rohit Jolly, clinical service lead for ophthalmology at the RFL, said: “The creation of a dedicated hub for eye surgery will transform patient experience across north central London. We have a real opportunity to provide patients with access to more timely care, from a highly skilled group of professionals that will provide world class expertise in a welcoming environment. The hub will provide care outside of a large general hospital setting, meaning operations are less likely to cancelled due to emergencies or winter pressures.”
Patients who have their procedure at the hub will continue to attend their local optician or preferred hospital for tests and outpatient appointments before and after having surgery.
They can also continue to choose to be referred to any hospital that offers the care they need.
The additional surgical capacity created at Whittington Health, CFH and the RFH will be used to address waiting lists in other specialities.
The creation of this hub follows an eight-week engagement period, led by the North Central London (NCL) Integrated Care Board, with patients, the public and other stakeholders. You can read more about this on the NCL Integrated Care System’s website.
To support this change, we have temporarily moved planned pain management surgery from Edgware Community Hospital to Hadley Wood Hospital.
