Experts from across the State will meet at NSW Parliament House in August, tasked with finding ways to improve access to surgery for people suffering from cataracts.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced the forum will examine new ways to better assist the one in three people aged over 65 who have clinically significant cataracts.

“The NSW Government is committed to supporting our older citizens to age safely and independently,” Mr Hazzard said.

“NSW does well in the urgent and semi urgent surgery categories where people typically receive surgery in one to six weeks, but I do want people to get faster access in the non-urgent category – that was why last year we did a $3 million blitz to get more people through in cataract, hip and knee surgery.”

In NSW public hospitals, there were 24,502 cataract operations in 2016/17 with almost 99 per cent performed within a clinically appropriate time. This is an improvement from 2010/11 when just over 91% had their surgery performed within a clinically appropriate time under Labor.

“I acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our clinicians and managers across NSW Health in making NSW the best performing state for on-time elective surgery,” Mr Hazzard said.

“Gone are the dark days under the previous Labor government when on-time surgery blew out, and 19,000 people waited more than a year to get surgery – we’ve been able to reduce that to 210 people.”

The forum will be attended by frontline clinicians, managers, and executives from metropolitan and rural local health districts, not-for-profit organisations, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology and the Agency for Clinical Innovation.

Stakeholders interested in participating can register their interest with the NSW Ministry of Health via email.