'Jack and Jill' model to reduce cataract operation waits
- Published
More than 40,000 cataract operations are carried out in Scotland each year
Cataract surgery is the most common operation carried out by the NHS in Scotland but health boards are struggling to reduce waiting times for patients.
It is a straightforward day surgery operation that can have an immediate impact on a patient's eyesight but many people are waiting months to have the procedure done.
In an effort to get its waiting times down, NHS Fife has designed a new system that involves one surgeon working simultaneously between two operating theatres.
The "Jack and Jill" model has increased capacity substantially and the health board said it was already meeting targets to see all patients within 12 weeks.
It is a delicate operation that involves breaking up the cloudy lens of the eye and replacing it
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision.
Most cataracts are related to the ageing process and as Scotland's population gets older it is an operation that is increasingly in demand.
There are about 42,000 cataract procedures performed each year in Scotland.
It is a delicate operation in which the cloudy lens on the eye is broken up and sucked out.
It is then replaced with an artificial one.
Often patients return to have the second eye done.
Patients often return to get their second eye done
Like most health boards, Fife has struggled with waiting times targets for cataract surgery because of the growing numbers.
At the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, an innovative new theatre design has helped them get back on track.
They have split their large operating theatre in two and use them alternately - one surgeon, two nursing teams.
Dr Shona Sutherland says the new method allows her to go straight from one operation to another
Dr Shona Sutherland said: "I can just immediately leave that theatre and go through next door.
"The patient is already prepared and ready for me.
"So just as soon as I get my hands cleaned and we do our surgical pause we can just get started.
"It saves us about six to eight minutes per patient."
Since January, the hospital has increased capacity for the most straightforward cataract cases from an average of six per morning list to about 10.
Dr Sutherland said all the processes for pre-op and admin had been made more efficient to allow the system to run smoothly.
"It is a very honed process where everybody knows what their job is and they do it at the right time," she said.
It has cost about £560,000 to set up the "Jack and Jill" surgery in Dunfermline.
The health board claims it works for staff and has a big immediate impact on patients.
Senior charge nurse Catherine Jack says the system benefits patients and staff
"It allows each team to concentrate and focus on one patient at a time," says senior charge nurse Catherine Jack.
"They also know they have got time in between their case to clean up, tidy up and get the next patient in without any rush.
"Obviously some of our patients are elderly and do take a bit of time and we want them to feel that they have that time."
Fife is the first NHS board to switch to this model.
Could this be a clear vision of how they can keep waiting times down?