The New Zealand Health and Disability Commission (HDC) has released a report finding the Southern District Health Board (DHB) breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights, when a man suffered irreversible vision loss after the DHB’s ophthalmology service failed to arrange timely follow-up care.

The lack of follow-up ophthalmology care within DHBs across the country, made headline news in 2016 and 2017 after the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) revealed the extent of the problem. The HDC report is the latest part of that process to change the system to better prioritise treatment for patients with the greatness risk of going blind.

RANZCO welcomed the report and called upon the government to release the report they commissioned EY to do last year, on developing a pathway of care for age-related macular degeneration.

While applauding the work undertaken so far, Dr Brian Kent-Smith, RANZCO NZ Branch chair, stressed more still needs to be done. “Releasing the EY report will be a good step in enabling the DHBs to better meet clinical need and help more patients to have their sight preserved and restored.”