23 January 2025
Marsha de Cordova MP spoke about her National Eye Health Strategy Bill during a visit to CHEC Wandsworth on Friday 17 January.
De Cordova spoke to staff, including CHEC’s deputy CEO Matt Currall and hospital manager Amy Notschild, about how the bill could help to deliver better eye health outcomes for local people during the visit.
De Cordova said: “With the NHS under immense pressure and ophthalmology waiting lists eye-wateringly high, it is vital that we look at how we prioritise and deliver eye care, including through a National Eye Health Strategy, to get waiting lists down and deliver better results for patients.”
She added: “It was good to visit CHEC Wandsworth to see how innovative their community-based service model is, as well as discuss how a National Eye Health Strategy would aid this work.”
De Cordova is MP for Battersea and is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment.
The National Eye Health Strategy Bill was first introduced to Parliament in 2023, but did not reach its second reading due to parliamentary time constraints.
CHEC Wandsworth is the independent hospital group’s newest site, and will open for appointments in early February.
Currall said: “As an organisation, we echo de Cordova’s stance on the importance of collaboration between all healthcare providers to ensure equity of access to high-quality care, because in so many cases, it proves to be both transformative for the patient and for struggling NHS services.”
He added: “It was a pleasure to welcome de Cordova MP to our new Wandsworth hospital, and offer a real-time demonstration and insight into how our processes and support team help to reduce local waiting times for vital ophthalmology procedures.”
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