NDM7110 Welsh Conservatives debate - Sight Loss

NDM7110 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes that:

a) there are currently 111,000 people living with sight loss in Wales;

b) the number of people with sight loss is predicted to increase by 32 per cent by 2030 and double by 2050.

2. Welcomes the introduction of new performance measures for eye care patients.

3. Regrets that 1 in 3 patients deemed to be at high risk of losing their sight are waiting longer that their target waiting time for ophthalmology appointments.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) robustly hold health boards to account over their failure to meet eye care waiting time targets and implement its eye care measures;

b) develop a national workforce plan for ophthalmology to ensure sufficient capacity in eye clinics to meet the current and future needs of the people of Wales;

c) improve the capture, analysis and learning from complaints and serious incidents where sight loss has occurred;

d) urgently publish a timetable for the development and publication of a new eye care delivery plan for Wales.

The following amendment has been tabled:

Amendment 1 - Rebecca Evans (Gower)

Delete all after sub-point 4a and replace with:

progress publication and implementation of the national workforce plan for the whole of the eye care sector and issue a Welsh Health Circular to ensure sufficient capacity in eye clinics to meet the current and future needs of the people of Wales;

improve the capture, analysis and learning from complaints and serious incidents where sight loss has occurred;

continue to drive forward implementation of the eye care delivery plan recommendations in its final year and notes the Chief Optometric Advisor will work with stakeholders across Wales over the coming months to agree next steps.

Eye health care delivery plan 2013 to 2018