More than 300 extra ophthalmology appointments are being offered as part of a new weekend clinic programme at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The hospital has launched a series of weekend 'Super Saturday' clinics aimed at reducing waiting times for patients needing specialist eye care.

Over 300 additional ophthalmology appointments are being offered throughout July and August, with priority given to people who have been waiting the longest for treatment. Further additional clinics are also planned for September.

Ophthalmology is one of the busiest services at the Countess of Chester Hospital, with demand for NHS eye care at an all-time high nationally.

The weekend clinics will cover some of the department's busiest services, including cataract reviews, glaucoma follow-ups and retinal assessments.

By focusing each weekend clinic on specific eye conditions, specialist teams can see larger numbers of patients, streamline appointments and help reduce the time people spend waiting for care.

The programme follows the trust's successful introduction of weekend 'Super Clinics' in other services.

Earlier this year, a similar approach in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services helped reduce average waiting times from more than 26 weeks to under 18 weeks, allowing hundreds more patients to be treated sooner.

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The trust hopes the same approach will help tackle ophthalmology waiting lists.

Craig Parkes, consultant ophthalmologist at the Countess of Chester Hospital, said: "We've already seen how this approach has reduced waiting times in ENT, and we're confident it will make a real difference for people waiting for eye care too.

"I'm incredibly grateful to colleagues who are giving up their weekends to make these clinics possible. Their commitment means more local people will receive the care they need without waiting longer than necessary."

The Super Saturday programme is part of wider efforts by the trust to reduce waiting times across planned care.

Over the past year, the trust says it has made significant progress in reducing long waits, with around two-thirds of patients now starting treatment within 18 weeks and less than 1% waiting more than a year.

Patients who are being offered a weekend appointment will be contacted directly.

Further additional ophthalmology clinics are also planned throughout the summer.