What is the NHS Increasing Capacity Framework?
Waiting times for NHS cataract surgery have increased by 84% in England alone after the impact of the pandemic. In 2021, patients needing to undergo cataract surgery had to wait 9 months on average from their referral to the time of treatment.
Working hand-in-hand with our sister company, Ultralase Eye Clinics Limited, we are currently treating NHS patients through our Newton Abbot and Leicester clinics. We offer cataract surgery and YAG laser capsulotomy, as well as dry eye treatment, as part of the NHS Increasing Capacity Framework, with plans to offer glaucoma treatment as well in the near future.
An Introduction to the NHS Increasing Capacity Framework
The Increasing Capacity Framework was set up by NHS England in 2021 as a way to reduce the strain on NHS resources and get patients the treatment they need quicker. While the NHS made use of subcontractors before the ICF was launched, this was done through a long and arduous process which provided a high barrier of entry for new providers looking to secure an NHS contract.
The ICF provides a new way for private healthcare providers to more easily provide supplemental support for elective NHS treatments and surgeries. This primarily benefits NHS patients in areas with long waiting times as an increased number of ready and available healthcare providers like Optimax and Ultralase leads to a higher overall standard of treatment. It also results in dramatically reduced waiting times across the UK.
Here at Optimax, we have clinics that provide treatment for NHS patients suffering from cataracts and posterior capsule opacification (PCO) with plans to expand our care to patients in need of glaucoma treatment in the future. Our sites currently providing these NHS services are our Optimax Leicester and Optimax Newton Abbot clinics.
The Increasing Capacity Framework creates a simple solution to tackle the ever-growing NHS waiting lists for elective surgery. At Optimax, we’re proud to be a part of the solution, with patients waiting a mere 4-6 weeks from getting their referral letter to the date of their first treatment procedure.
What is a Cataract?
Cataracts happen when the lens inside your eye becomes cloudy or opaque. The effect is progressive dimming of vision, at first like looking through dirty glasses. Those with cataracts find that everyday activities like driving a car or reading a newspaper become harder and colours become difficult to distinguish.
When a cataract forms, your eye tissues break down and proteins within your eye clump together. This usually happens when you are in your 60s or 70s and progressively worsens over the years, with sight becoming cloudier with duller colour vision as the cataract grows. This is a natural part of the ageing process with no way to avoid or fix a cataract without being treated by a qualified medical professional.
Today, after more than four decades of development, the World Health Organisation has stated that cataract surgery in modern times is one of the safest surgeries performed in the world, with millions of successful procedures completed every year.
Cataract treatment is the most commonly performed surgery in the world with about 400,000 procedures performed in the UK per year. Each procedure takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete with most people recovering after 2 to 6 weeks of aftercare.
Symptoms of a Cataract
In the early stages of a cataract, it’s likely that you’ll have no symptoms at all. Cataracts are most often picked up early in their development by your optician at your regular eye tests, long before they have affected your vision or need treatment.
When you notice a cataract, it may be because colours have started to look more faded to you, your eyes being more sensitive to lights, clouded or blurry vision that wasn’t there before, halos or rings appearing around bright lights or perhaps you have started finding it increasingly difficult to see clearly at night.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to visit your optician for an eye test. An optometrist or GP can also confirm the presence of the cataract for you and discuss next steps with you for removing the cataract with a simple surgery.
What is Posterior Capsule Opacification?
Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO), often called a “secondary cataract”, is the most commonly occurring complication of cataract treatment. PCO happens when the cells left after cataract surgery begin to grow over the back of the eye’s lens capsule, causing it to become thicker and slightly cloudy.
Due to this, it is harder for light to travel to the retina at the back of your eye clearly, causing your vision to become clouded and hazy. You may also have issues with glare or bright lights. PCO can occur at any time after your initial cataract surgery and may affect each eye at different times. PCO is treated with a procedure called a YAG laser capsulotomy.
What is a YAG Laser Capsulotomy?
Your natural lens is surrounded by a transparent membrane called a lens capsule. If you experience PCO and require treatment, our state-of-the-art laser uses a precise beam to create a small hole through your lens capsule in a quick and painless procedure, allowing light to pass through it freely and giving you clear, natural vision as a result. This treatment provides you with permanent results and only takes a few minutes to complete.
YAG Laser Capsulotomies are available to NHS patients in Devon at our Optimax Newton Abbot clinic.
