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Written question asked by Andy Slaughter (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 July 2026 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. A substantive answer was provided by Karin Smyth (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Glaucoma: Waiting Lists

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of variations in waiting times for glaucoma diagnosis and treatment across England.

Answer

No formal assessment has been made. The Department does not hold data on waiting times for glaucoma treatment. However, for ophthalmology, which covers glaucoma treatment, as of May 2026, 74.1% of patient pathways were waiting within 18 weeks. This is an improvement of 3.9% over the past year.

We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across England, including for ophthalmology. We are investing in and modernising NHS services to support this, including through our new online hospital, NHS Online, which will help reduce patient waiting times across England by giving people on glaucoma pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. NHS Online will deliver the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointment and assessments in its first three years across all specialities. We are also expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide dedicated and protected elective capacity to drive improvement in six specialities, including ophthalmology.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
16858
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Diagnosis Medical treatments Waiting lists Glaucoma
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk