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Actions for ophthalmology, ophthalmic theatres, and Medical Devices Safety Officers. To be completed 26 January 2023 Please take the following actions immediately: Nominate a lead person to take responsibility for completing these actions. Note – we recommend including colleagues in purchasing, supplies, and the Medical Device Safety Officer (MDSO). Identify if your organisation uses these IOLs Stop using these impacted products immediately Quarantine these impacted IOLs until further notice. Consider using a suitable alternative product if available following local risk assessment Immediately notify any other departments who need to be aware of this notice.

Making a decision about Dupuytren’s contracture Making a decision about carpal tunnel syndrome Making a decision about hip osteoarthritis Making a decision about knee osteoarthritis Making a decision about further treatment for atrial fibrillation Making a decision about cataracts Making a decision about glaucoma Making a decision about wet age-related macular degeneration

Key points: The sustained impact of the pandemic will leave a backlog of care in excess of anything seen over the last 12 years. Although urgent and emergency procedures have largely been maintained, much of the growth in waiting lists comes from low priority, high-volume procedures for conditions ranging from painful bone and joint conditions, to ear, nose and throat and ophthalmology. Our modelling suggests that to maintain any sense of control over the NHS waiting list, the NHS will need to increase capacity considerably above levels than have previously been sustained. Our members are embracing best practice, as represented by the Getting It Right First Time programme (GIRFT), and innovating to support waiting list management but will need further support to make inroads into the backlog. The existing framework for elective care, which is based around organisations and tariff, is widely accepted as not being fit for purpose to resolve growing lists and the increasing backlog. Without a comprehensive new plan, the government faces the politically unacceptable legacy of hundreds of thousands of patients left on waiting lists with deteriorating conditions for the remainder of the parliament. Our members want to see whole-system thinking to manage waiting lists between trusts, and deeper partnerships with primary and community care, supported by real-time patient data. Small amounts of quick capital will help to create ‘hot and cold’ hospital sites, which will increase efficiency, while funding support for the voluntary sector will help patients to receive more care and support as they wait for their procedures. The intensity of the pandemic response has had a marked impact on NHS staff and left the healthcare workforce in a fragile state. In many areas, the same group of staff who have worked through the pandemic, and who are delivering the vaccination programme, will be asked to step up once again to recover backlogs. Any plan that fails to recognise this is unlikely to succeed. The additional £1bn agreed in the Spending Review for 2021/22 will not be enough to clear the backlog. The healthcare sector will need honesty from political leaders to help manage the inevitable change in public opinion when there are further delays in treatment. By creating a long-term framework for the recovery of elective care that is efficient, patient focused and equitable, the NHS can make fast progress on recovering its elective care position. As part of that, it will be important to rethink the way that waiting lists are measured, as many of the performance standards are no longer fit for purpose. This briefing focuses on the elective backlog. Similar pressures will be faced across the NHS, from a surge in demand for mental health support, to increased need for community services and increased demand on primary care. While our members are innovating and driving service improvement at local level, more support is required from government in its public messaging. This would help the NHS to clarify priorities and facilitate an honest public debate on the scale of the challenge and the measures to resolve it. Download the full briefing via the link below or the attached document.

Areas and scenarios covered in the eyecare playbook include examples of digital tools and solutions to help with communication, improving referrals, setting up virtual clinics, remote consultations and self-monitoring, as well as sharing clinical data and images. A step-by-step, recommended eye care pathway is also featured covering stages from primary care, referrals and diagnostics, through to outpatients and day surgery, and finally, community care and supported self-care. Some of the innovative case studies featured include examples from: NHS Grampian’s Eye Health Network Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS FT County Durham and Darlington NHS FT The Royal College of Ophthalmologists Bolton NHS Trust FT East Kent Hospitals University NHS FT Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS FT The University of Strathclyde and NHS Forth Valley Digital tools and solutions highlighted stretch from home visual acuity testing and remote vision monitoring for macular disease, through to secure video messaging service examples, smartphone-based lenses for image capturing and referrals, virtual glaucoma clinics, and integration platforms.