A HOSPITAL boss has apologised after an “administrative error” meant an OAP went almost a year without an eye operation.

Neil Cowan spoke after Rip Bulkeley, 73, complained he had not had the procedure since being referred by his GP last December.

Mr Bulkeley said he had been told he would have an operation after an April assessment in the Oxford Eye Hospital at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

After writing to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust on November 18 he had the operation on Saturday, November 29.

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Patients have a legal right to start hospital treatment within 18 weeks from referral, unless they choose to wait longer.

Summertown historian Mr Bulkeley said: “I am pleased but it is a pity I had to go to such lengths to get what should have been done anyway.”

He said: “I did try to ring their numbers. I did get through to the person who said they were dealing with appointments but nothing happened after that.”

Cataracts are common cloudy patches that develop on the eye lens and can blur vision. They are easily removed with surgery.

Mr Bulkeley, who has just had a book published on Russian explorer Bellingshausen, said he had problems focusing and with peripheral vision, and had stopped driving at night.

The Lonsdale Road resident, a carer for his wife Jane, who is in her 60s, said: “I was depressed, I do suffer from depression anyway, so it was one more thing to cope with on top of other things.”

Mr Cowan, trust divisional general manager for neurosciences, orthopaedics, trauma and specialist surgery, said: “I would like to offer my most sincere apologies for the delay in this patient’s treatment, which took place on 29 November.

“From our initial investigation, it appears as though an unfortunate administrative error caused the delay.

“An investigation is under way and we are in contact with the patient to address their concerns.”

Mr Bulkeley added: “Of course it’s true to say an admin error led to this delay but I want to know the details and I hope to get a written report of the investigation explaining why.”

He said a hospital manager also telephoned him to apologise.

National waiting targets state at least 95 per cent of patients who do not need to be admitted for a planned operation should be seen within 18 weeks.

Latest figures, for September, show the trust hit the target 94.5 per cent of the time for all types of specialist treatment, and 93.2 per cent for ophthamology.

This meant 573 of these patients started treatment within 18 weeks but 42 did not.

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