HUNDREDS of Islanders are waiting for hip and cataract operations – with routine hip replacement patients facing an average wait of almost 20 months.
As of June, there were 191 people on the public waiting list for hip surgery, including 127 routine cases, 52 classed as ‘soon’ and 12 urgent.
Patients requiring routine hip replacements waited a median of 85.5 weeks for surgery over the previous 12 months. Those in the ‘soon’ category waited 64 weeks, while urgent patients waited 15 weeks.
302 people were listed as waiting for cataract surgery – including 204 routine, 95 soon and three urgent cases. Median waiting times ranged from seven weeks for urgent patients to 35 weeks for routine procedures.
The figures, released this month under the Freedom of Information Law, were accompanied by comments from Health and Care Jersey explaining that waiting lists were prioritised according to clinical need, with patients showing “red flag” symptoms or time-critical conditions treated ahead of routine cases.
The department added that waiting times could also be affected by demand for surgery, bed availability and staffing levels, and advised patients whose symptoms worsened while waiting to contact their GP for reassessment, as referrals can be expedited if a patient’s clinical condition changes.
