National Glaucoma Care Award 2026 – Celebrating Teamwork in Patient Care

When I learned that our glaucoma service at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had been awarded the 2026 Team Excellence in Glaucoma Care Award by Glaucoma UK, my overwhelming feeling was one of gratitude.

This is not an award for one person. It is recognition of an entire multidisciplinary team that has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people living with glaucoma.

The award, presented by Glaucoma UK, recognises teams that demonstrate exceptional dedication, compassion and innovation in glaucoma care. Our nomination highlighted significant improvements in access to care, patient safety and service delivery, including reducing follow-up waiting times from 24 weeks to 6 weeks, reducing new patient waiting times from 30 weeks to 8 weeks, and reducing glaucoma surgery waits to just 4 weeks. These achievements were delivered despite periods of considerable workforce challenge, reflecting the resilience, adaptability and professionalism of everyone involved.

It has always been about the team

Healthcare is often portrayed through the achievements of individuals, but the reality is very different.

Every successful glaucoma service depends upon consultants, specialist nurses, optometrists, orthoptists, ophthalmic technicians, healthcare assistants, administrators, booking teams, secretaries, theatre staff, pharmacists, managers and countless others whose work may not always be visible to patients.

High-quality glaucoma care is rarely the result of one innovation or one clinician. It is created by hundreds of small acts of excellence every single day.

A patient receiving timely treatment experiences the combined efforts of numerous professionals working together seamlessly behind the scenes.

This award belongs to every member of that team.

Creating the right environment

One of the greatest lessons I have learnt throughout my career is that exceptional teams do not happen by accident.

They develop when people feel:

• valued

• respected

• psychologically safe

• listened to

• empowered to improve services.

Research over the past two decades consistently demonstrates that positive workplace cultures are directly associated with better patient outcomes, lower mortality, improved staff wellbeing and higher quality care.

Professor Amy Edmondson's work on psychological safety showed that teams perform better when individuals feel safe to ask questions, admit mistakes and contribute ideas without fear of blame. Rather than weakening performance, openness creates stronger learning organisations capable of continuous improvement.

Similarly, Professor Michael West's research within the NHS has repeatedly shown that compassionate leadership, staff engagement and positive team climates are associated with improved patient experience, better safety and greater organisational performance.

These principles are particularly important within glaucoma services, where patients often require lifelong care and continuity across many years.

Creating an environment where every member of the team can contribute ultimately creates a better experience for every patient.

Improvement is everyone's responsibility

One of the aspects of this award that makes me particularly proud is that it recognises service improvement rather than simply activity.

Over recent years our team has focused on improving access, reducing unnecessary delays, strengthening communication and continually asking ourselves a simple question:

"How can we make this better for our patients?"

Whether introducing new pathways, embracing technology, supporting multidisciplinary working or refining everyday processes, improvement has become part of our culture rather than an occasional project.

This mindset reflects an important principle within healthcare quality improvement: sustainable change occurs when improvement becomes everyone's responsibility.

Looking after each other

Healthcare has become increasingly demanding.

Waiting lists remain high across the NHS, resources are finite and the complexity of patient care continues to increase.

During these pressures it is easy to focus solely on performance metrics.

Yet one of the strongest predictors of sustainable success is how well teams care for one another.

When colleagues feel supported, trusted and appreciated, they are more engaged, more innovative and more resilient.

Positive workplace culture is therefore not simply about staff wellbeing—it is also about delivering safer, higher-quality care for patients.

Thank you

I would like to thank every member of our glaucoma service, both past and present, who has contributed to building what we have today.

I am also grateful to Professor Pouya Alaghband for the nomination and to Glaucoma UK for recognising the work taking place across our service.

Most importantly, I would like to thank our patients.

Their trust, feedback and partnership continue to shape how we improve our services every day.

Awards are wonderful moments of recognition, but they are not the destination.

They simply remind us why we strive to improve, why teamwork matters, and why creating a positive culture remains one of the most important things we can do—for our colleagues and, ultimately, for our patients.

Mr David S M Burton MBChB BMedSci MSc FRCOphth Consultant Ophthalmologist