"My mother's discharge"

My mother attended the clinic to be assessed for cataract surgery.  She has other issues with her eyes including some macular degeneration. It was decided against cataract surgery now as the benefits outweigh the risks and was discharged from the clinic. This really upset me for three reasons,

1. Being able to read is one of the few pleasures my mother has left, being able to see means she has some independence. She is not seeking to prolong her life, just make the remainder as comfortable as possible. For my mother the benefits of cataract surgery far outweigh the risk.

2. Why on earth is somebody with several recognised eye conditions being discharged from an opthalmology clinic? At the very least I think she should be monitored with regular appointments.

3. I believe the clinic and the hospital in general is washing its hands of my mother because she is frail and elderly. My mother-in-law, who is of the same age but lives in another area, was given cataract surgery promptly when she needed it despite having several other issues, affects her sight. By being discharged and having to start the whole referral process anew, I feel the hospital is putting up barriers to access likely to at least deter if not prevent altogether, my mother from obtaining the care she needs.

Overall I believe my mother's treatment by the opthalmology clinic was a cynical attempt to keep to waiting list targets based on the assumption that my mother will die before the need for surgery becomes more urgent. My mother worked and paid National Insurance contributions for fifty years, I believe that having paid it forward all her life she deserves a proper standard of treatment and care in her later life.