Rt Hon Caroline Nokes, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and MP for Romsey and Southampton North, visited Optegra Eye Hospital Hampshire this week to meet the surgical team, speak with patients having their NHS cataract surgery and have a tour of the high-tech facilities.
Since opening its doors in 2010, the five-star clinic has conducted thousands of NHS cataract procedures, treating patients within just a few weeks of referral, substantially reducing waiting times for cataract surgery in the region.
Caroline Nokes MP said: “It was fascinating to visit Optegra and capture how the independent sector is working so closely with the NHS for the benefit of patients.
“And also to support NHS medical staff – we met an NHS Junior Doctor gaining essential experience in high-volume cataract surgery, so the team is really helping to shape the expertise of our future surgeons.
“I was also interested that Optegra runs diagnostic clinics in surrounding towns, to make the NHS cataract treatment even easier to access – patients only need to travel to the main hospital for their actual procedure.”
The Whiteley hospital currently offers NHS cataract surgery to help reduce waiting lists and provide this sight-saving surgery to local residents, without delay. It is home to Optegra’s Medical Director Mr Alastair Stuart and is also supported by local diagnostic clinics to help patients have local pre-op care and only travel to the main hospital for their treatment.
Across England Optegra has treated over 50,000 NHS cataract patients in 2024 as well as over 11,000 NHS treatments for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
Gemma Briggs, Hospital Manager for Optegra Eye Hospital Hampshire, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome local MP, Caroline Nokes, to our hospital and we thank her for her support.
“We are so pleased to be offering local people cataract surgery at this clinic and commit to treatment within just four-six weeks of referral.
“Since we opened we have treated over 20,000 NHS patients alongside our private treatment offering for bespoke cataract surgery and vision correction treatments; and are delighted to have restored excellent vision for so many people.
“If you or a family member need cataract surgery, please simply ask your local optician or GP to refer you to Optegra Eye Hospital Hampshire and we look forward to treating you.”
The visit was organised in partnership with The Purpose Coalition, with whom Optegra published a Breaking Down Barriers to Health Report in October 2024. The report sets out innovative ways Optegra can support the NHS to improve access to services.
The Purpose Coalition is Britain's biggest campaign to break down the barriers to opportunity, working with businesses and organisations to do more, share best practice, and develop new solutions for improving the role they can play for their customers, colleagues and local communities.
Optegra Eye Health Care is a specialist provider of ophthalmic services. Established in 2007, it has completed over one million eye procedures from its 40 eye hospitals and clinics across the UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Holland.
Optegra brings together leading-edge research, medical expertise and state-of-the-art surgical equipment. It performs more than 100,000 treatments annually, both private and publicly funded. Its top ophthalmic surgeons are renowned for their areas of expertise, offering excellent clinical outcomes and great patient service across vision correction, cataract, glaucoma and Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
www.optegra.com
Tel: 0800 054 1971