Shake-up at Oswestry Hospital Spinal Services
Hundreds of patients from England and Wales with back pain have faced waits of up to a year, only to be told they do not require specialist treatment at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Shropshire.
Referral System Under Review
Leaders at RJAH are addressing the referral system for spinal problems amid rising patient numbers. A national NHS team from the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme visited the hospital in January to introduce a new “single point of access” system.
This system is currently being trialed and is planned for full implementation next year to ensure patients receive “the right care at the right place at the right time.”
Increasing Demand Creates Pressure
At a board meeting on November 5, it was revealed that referrals to RJAH have surged from 4,500 in 2018/19 to 6,802 in 2024/25, with 4,021 patients from England and 2,781 from Wales. This ongoing increase has resulted in a capacity imbalance.
Concerns Over Patient Pathways
“What’s really interesting” is a 32 per cent discharge rate. “That would indicate we’ve got a problem with our pathways when almost a third of our patients actually don’t need to be here.”
It was also reported that many patients wait around 52 weeks to be seen in the outpatient department.
Summary
The hospital is working to improve patient referral and treatment pathways to better handle growing demand and reduce unnecessary specialist visits.
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