Shake-up at Oswestry Hospital Spinal Services Amid Long Waits
Hundreds of patients from England and Wales suffering from back pain have faced waits of up to a year, only to be discharged without treatment at the specialist Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Shropshire.
Referral System Under Review
Hospital leaders have been informed that the referral process for spinal issues is undergoing a major overhaul aimed at resolving these delays. A team from the NHS’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme visited RJAH in January to introduce a new “single point of access” system.
This system is currently in trial before its anticipated launch next year. The goal is to ensure patients receive “the right care at the right place at the right time.”
Rising Referrals Driving Capacity Challenges
At a board meeting on November 5, it was highlighted that the rise in patient referrals is a nationwide issue, with RJAH seeing numbers climb from 4,500 in 2018/19 to 6,802 projected for 2024/25.
- 4,021 referrals come from England
- 2,781 referrals come from Wales
This surge is creating a significant imbalance between capacity and demand at the hospital.
Significant Discharge Rate Indicates Pathway Issues
“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.”
An official added that patients are currently waiting around 52 weeks to be seen in the outpatient department.
Summary
RJAH is trialing a new referral system to reduce year-long waits and improve care access amid rising patient numbers, where nearly one-third of referrals do not require hospital treatment.