7. Recommendations re: Access to Common Procedures

Access to common procedures - Health Equity Audits:
Hip and Knee joint replacements and Cataracts

Hips and Knees

• Whilst provision of joint replacements has improved over the last eight years, rates of knee replacement in North Somerset to March 2008 increased at a slower rate than the other Avon areas, although rates in the Avon area are now reasonably similar. Services need to be closely monitored to see that rates do not fall behind elsewhere.
• This analysis suggests that inequity in provision may exist by age and by the deprivation quintile of the area in which you live, with both younger and the over 80s having less access than might be expected. A review of care pathways and referral patterns should explore this issue in more detail.

Cataracts

• NHS North Somerset needs to ensure it maintains a level of access to cataract surgery commensurate with the needs of the population. Levels of access amongst our more deprived populations seem relatively low. NHS North Somerset needs to explore whether more local provision of assessment and/or surgery would improve access.