Cataract waiting lists cut by almost 10,000 across south-east Wales

Dewi Williams

Cataract waiting lists across south-east Wales have fallen by more than 9,600 patients after a year-long programme delivered more than 25,000 operations.

The reduction follows a regional initiative involving three health boards, supported by £19.5 million in Welsh Government funding, which expanded surgical capacity through dedicated treatment hubs and independent providers.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, 25,633 cataract procedures were carried out across Aneurin Bevan, Cardiff and Vale, and Cwm Taf Morgannwg university health boards, helping reduce waiting times for thousands of patients.

With demand for treatment remaining high, the three health boards established the Regional Ophthalmology Programme in 2023 to pool resources and increase the number of cataract operations carried out across south-east Wales.

The programme created two regional cataract hubs to provide additional clinical capacity – one at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny and the other at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

The initiative also received £19.5 million in Welsh Government funding in April 2025 to further reduce waiting lists by outsourcing treatment to independent providers in Wales and England.

The programme exceeded its target of outsourcing 12,930 procedures between April 2025 and March 2026, delivering 12,976 sight-restoring operations through a network of five specialist providers.

Together with operations carried out by the three health boards and the regional hubs, this brought the total number of cataract procedures completed during the year to 25,633.

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.”

‘Significant impact’

Hannah Evans, executive director of strategy, planning and partnerships at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “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.”