Moorfields at Croydon’s Digital Cataract Service (DCS) has both improved efficiency and increased patient satisfaction by digitising the non-surgical elements of the service, including deploying video consultations, a recent evaluation of 403 patients’ treatment has shown.
Developed in 2020, the DCS was initially a response to Covid-19, to reduce face to face interactions. Every step in the process was analysed, to use technology where it could be beneficial. The team adapted the video consultation platform that was already familiar to staff, and many patients, from its innovative use in Moorfields’ emergency care, with phone calls used for patients unable to use this technology. Surgeons are able to gather more assessment information than traditionally obtained through face-to-face examinations, and the approach has proved to take less time overall too.
Compared with national standards, a greater proportion were taken forward for an operation, the same being true for those reporting improved vision. Only 4% reported complications, less than a third of the standard (14%) for comparable complexity of surgery.
The service saves most cataract patients a trip into Croydon and reduces the time they have to wait for their operation by four weeks. The pre-assessment itself now takes around 90 minutes, less than half its previous duration, and punctuality is 98% (it was less than 50% for face-to-face assessments). Patient satisfaction has, perhaps not surprisingly, also improved to 97% as a result of this new way of working.
With the increasing pressure on the NHS to do more with less, this approach also frees up space in Croydon for other ophthalmology specialties and enables clinicians to spend more of their time helping patients with the greatest clinical needs.
Our patient's experience
Patient Sean Overett recently received bilateral cataract surgery at Moorfields at Croydon, following a referral from Moorfields Community Eye Clinic at Purley War Memorial Hospital.
I am now benefitting from what I can only call a miraculous outcome. I hadn’t realised how bad things had got.
Now retired, he worked for the NHS for 35 years, as a mental health nurse, at NHS Improvement and in Specialised Commissioning. He enjoys sci fi, art and reading.
“I was already a Moorfields patient, being monitored regularly for a macular condition at Purley, when they spotted cataracts and referred me for treatment.
“From my time working in the NHS, I know what good looks like, and my experience was really stunning, excellent. It was seamless from start to finish – not rushed, no delays, just a steady rhythm. This included being given an operation quicker than I expected.
“When I came in on the day, the team first of all saw me to answer all my questions. This was helpful and reassuring, as I was anxious about seeing the blade coming close to my eye, which proved unfounded.
“By the time I went in, I was relaxed, and the theatre staff helped by introducing themselves and explaining their roles and how I could help them during the procedure. They kept talking to me as they moved onto the second eye, and I couldn’t believe how easy it was for me – they said it would be painless, and it really was!
“I am now benefitting from what I can only call a miraculous outcome. I hadn’t realised how bad things had got, I still keep checking on things I see in the background that I’d missed before. The team at Croydon were the best I’ve come across, absolutely brilliant.”
David Hurst, a 74 year old retired train driver who loves reading, DIY and researching his family tree.
Now the eye is a million times better, I can’t wait to have the other one done!
David was referred to Moorfields by his local optician in Croydon, he was offered a choice of Moorfields or a private provider. He chose Moorfields, and this is his experience:
“When my optician diagnosed cataracts on 22 November, I was given an appointment at Moorfields at Croydon straight away. On Christmas Eve, the consultant confirmed I’d need the operation, and on New Year’s Eve I got a call offering me a cancellation – on 7 January.
“I was on edge before the surgery, my knees were knocking, but I was reassured that everything would be alright – and it was – nothing to it!
“Before the operation, I was struggling to drive, it was a nightmare at night. Now the eye is a million times better, I can’t wait to have the other one done!
“It was a first-class service, everyone was efficient and friendly and it all went so smoothly.”
The DCS is just one of the factors enabling us to have historically low waiting times for cataract surgery at many of our sites.
The digital cataract service has been shortlisted for the 2025 HSJ Digital Awards.
10 June 2025