As part of our work to make the private healthcare industry more understandable and accessible for patients, we have today begun publishing links to consultants on a database run by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth).
Databases such as the National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) Audit are known as registries. They are used to collect data about the health of patients over time following certain medical procedures, in this case cataract surgery. Where consultants and hospitals participate in a registry, it can be a good sign that they are fully engaging with their professional duties to monitor and ensure safe and effective patient care.
PHIN is required to make healthcare information available to help patients make informed decisions. The publication this data is the latest step in this process and information from other registries is set to follow later in the year.
Our Chief Executive, Dr Ian Gargan said:
“Patients are at the heart of everything we do. We want to make it easier for them to understand their options and make the best choices when choosing to use private healthcare. We are delighted to have achieved this new milestone by making this data available and are grateful for the support we’ve had from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the NOD team.
“Cataract surgery is the most frequently undertaken NHS surgical procedure and the most common procedure people choose to have in the private sector, so this information about the consultants working at cataract surgical centres will provide valuable information for people deciding who should carry out their surgery.”
Dr John Buchan, Clinical Lead, RCOphth National Ophthalmology Database Cataract Audit, commented:
“The RCOphth National Ophthalmology Database has run the national Cataract Audit for many years now, providing publicly visible quality assurance for cataract surgery.
“We are delighted that PHIN will be directing patients to surgeon’s NOD Cataract Audit data.
“Historically the NOD received only NHS cataract surgery data, however we have started receiving data from private cataract providers and we expect this to grow as surgeons respond to the mandate to provide outcome data from all private surgical procedures in the UK, to empower patient choice.”
Read more about registries.
