Hundreds of extra hospital eye appointments to help patients across West Cheshire receive care sooner

Hundreds of patients across West Cheshire are set to receive NHS eye care sooner this summer as the Countess of Chester Hospital launches a series of weekend ‘Super Saturday’ clinics to help cut waiting times.

More than 300 extra ophthalmology appointments will be offered throughout July and August, with the sessions aimed at people who have been waiting the longest for specialist eye treatment. Further additional clinics are also planned for September.

Demand for NHS eye care is at an all‑time high nationally, and ophthalmology is one of the busiest services at the Countess of Chester Hospital, so increasing capacity is essential to help bring waiting times down. The clinics will run across some of the hospital’s busiest services, including cataract reviews, glaucoma follow‑ups and retinal assessments.

By dedicating whole weekend clinics to specific eye conditions, specialist teams can see more patients in one go, streamline appointments and reduce the time people spend waiting in the department.

The move follows the Trust’s successful use of weekend “Super Clinics” in other areas. Earlier this year, a similar approach in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services helped bring average waiting times down from more than 26 weeks to under 18, allowing hundreds more patients to be treated sooner. The Trust hopes ophthalmology will see the same benefit.

Craig Parkes, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We know waiting for an eye appointment can be worrying, especially when changes to your vision begin to affect everyday life. These Super Saturday clinics will allow us to see hundreds more patients this summer and help those who’ve been waiting the longest receive specialist care sooner. We’ve already seen how this approach has reduced waiting times in ENT, and we’re confident it will make a real difference for people waiting for eye care too.

“I’m incredibly grateful to colleagues who are giving up their weekends to make these clinics possible. Their commitment means more local people will receive the care they need without waiting longer than necessary.”

The Super Saturday programme forms part of wider efforts to reduce waiting times across planned care.

Over the past year, the Trust has significantly improved long waits, with around two‑thirds of patients now starting treatment within 18 weeks and less than 1% waiting more than a year. This progress has helped the Trust climb 24 places in the latest national performance table for acute trusts – the biggest improvement in Cheshire and Merseyside – taking it from near bottom last year to 98^th of 134 now.

Patients offered a weekend appointment will be contacted directly, with further extra clinics planned throughout the summer.