Private London clinic sees 84 per cent increase in surgeries

The number of patients being seen by the private OCL Vision clinic has nearly doubled (up 92 per cent) compared to this time last year.

The clinic’s specialists have carried out more than 3,600 new patient consultations in the year to November 2021, up from just under 1,900 during the previous 12 months.

They also carried out over 2,700 surgical procedures to treat a wide range of eye conditions, from laser vision correction and cataracts to glaucoma, retinal conditions and macular degeneration.

This 84 per cent year-on-year jump in surgery came as the clinic expanded its team. At 24, the number of full-time staff is now double what it was a year ago, and three times higher than it was when OCL Vision first opened its doors in November 2018.

The independent clinic’s rapid growth comes as the NHS wrestles with huge backlogs of patients after the Covid-19 pandemic forced it to cancel thousands of ‘non-essential’ operations.

Data from NHS England reveals that in September, 5.8 million patients who had been referred for hospital treatment were still waiting to be seen – the highest number on record. An incredible 300,000 had been waiting over a year for treatment, three times longer than the NHS’s target of 18 weeks from referral.

Juliet Hicks, chief operating officer at OCL Vision, commented: “As OCL celebrates its third anniversary, our rapid growth is a testament to the skill, hard work and dedication of our talented team of healthcare professionals.

“But it’s also a reminder of how vital a safety valve the private healthcare sector is, and why we regard ourselves as a complement rather than a competitor to the NHS. With 5.8 million people waiting for NHS hospital treatment in England alone, hundreds of thousands of patients each year value the greater speed and flexibility that going private offers.

“In 2021 we’ve seen exceptionally strong demand from a wide range of patients as OCL’s reputation spreads. We’ve responded by doubling staff numbers in the past 12 months alone and investing in some of the most advanced surgical facilities in Britain.”