Madam,

Thank you Cambrian News for highlighting the unacceptably long waiting times for appointments at North Road Eye Clinic (‘Eye clinic delays being sorted out’, last week’s Cambrian News).

However, when Joe Teape quotes average waiting times across the health authority as 10.7 weeks he is being totally misleading.

The actual waiting time for an outpatient appointment at North Road is currently eight to 10 months.

I was referred by my optician to North Road in April, and told I could expect to wait several months for an appointment. In July, as I had heard nothing, I chased it up, only to find that the referral letter had gone astray and I was not even on the waiting list. It took several phone calls by my optician, my own official complaint to Hywel Dda, and intervention by Ben Lake MP before I was put on the list from the date of the referral letter in April.

Last week, 6 months from the date of the referral, I telephoned again to find out when I could expect an appointment. I was told that the waiting period was now eight to 10 months and not to expect to hear anything before next February.

I am not at all reassured to hear that the health board “recognises there are specific challenges facing the Ophthalmology team”. What I need to know is that urgent and effective action is being taken to remedy this disgraceful situation immediately.

We must all pressure our MPs and AMs to ensure the effective delivery of a modern health service by ensuring adequate funding, training of sufficient health service professionals at all levels, and pay levels for health service workers that reflect the important work they do. We should also oppose all attempts at privatisation which will inevitably result in a further worsening of the service.

Yours etc,

Norma Giddings, Ystumtuen, Aberystwyth.

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