Contract Extension Following Ophthalmology Procedures Success

A 12-month contract extension will see Scotland’s largest provider of cataract procedures continue to use a temporary operating theatre from one of the UK’s leading medical technology companies to help it increase its capacity.

The Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank first introduced the Vanguard Healthcare Solutions facility two years ago. Currently carrying out between 15-18 per cent of all cataract operations for the NHS in Scotland, the hospital needed to increase its capacity to carry out more of the operations and reduce the time patients were waiting for procedures.

With its two existing theatres already operating at full capacity, the Vanguard solution has since helped provide the space and equipment to allow the hospital to increase the number of cataract procedures it offers while additional permanent space is constructed on site.

It has been a highly successful solution. When NHS Golden Jubilee began providing cataract procedures in 2013, they completed around 1,000 cases a year. The hospital now completes more than 8,500 per year – 25 per cent of which are completed in the Vanguard facility.

The number of sessions held has also increased due to the additional clinical capacity. Each week 19 sessions are held in the hospital’s permanent infrastructure, while an additional six can be held in the Vanguard unit.

Vanguard Regional Manager Simon Squirrell said: “We provide a combined mobile theatre and clinic which offers a range of dedicated spaces and operates as a highly efficient outpatient facility.

“We’re delighted that following the success of this solution, Golden Jubilee have extended their contract with us for an extra 12 months, which will allow approximately another 2,125 procedures to go ahead in the unit.”

Associate Director of Operations at NHS Golden Jubilee, Lynn Graham, said: “The number of patients requiring cataract procedures is going to continue to increase as the older population gets larger, so it is key we continue to be able to meet the demand for operations of this kind in a timely way which meets the legal Treatment Time Guarantee.

“The mobile theatre and ward have proved to be a really effective solution to help us see as many people as possible in a well-equipped and high-quality environment.

“Our surgeons and staff enjoy working within the Vanguard unit and can complete all cataract procedures there, including the most complex cases.”

The temporary theatre provides a dedicated reception, admission suite, anaesthetic room, kitchen, staff changing room, toilet facilities, utility and recovery areas, the mobile cataract surgery environment is a self-contained solution. The mobile theatre and clinic operate four-days-a-week and with two sessions per day, sees an average of 14 patients.