Shake-up at Oswestry Hospital Spinal Services
Hundreds of patients from England and Wales suffering from back pain have waited up to a year at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Shropshire, only to be told they do not require specialist treatment.
Hospital leaders have been informed that the current referral system for spinal patients is undergoing major changes to tackle ongoing inefficiencies. The move follows growing concern over long waiting lists and the number of unnecessary referrals.
National Review and New Access System
A team from the NHS “Getting It Right First Time” (GIRFT) programme visited RJAH in January to present a new “single point of access” model. The system, currently being trialled ahead of its full rollout next year, aims to ensure patients receive appropriate care more efficiently.
“The goal is to make sure that patients get the right care at the right place at the right time,” a board meeting was told.
Rising Referrals and Pressure on Capacity
RJAH’s board heard on November 5 that hospitals nationwide face rising referral rates. At RJAH, spinal referrals have jumped from 4,500 in 2018/19 to 6,802 in 2024/25, with 4,021 from England and 2,781 from Wales. Officials noted no signs of this trend easing, creating a growing mismatch between patient demand and hospital capacity.
Referral Quality and Waiting Times
An official highlighted that 32 percent of referred patients are discharged without treatment, suggesting issues with the referral pathways.
“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,” she said.
She also noted that many patients are currently waiting about 52 weeks for an outpatient appointment.
Summary
The hospital faces a continued rise in spinal referrals, prompting an overhaul of the referral process to reduce long waits and improve care efficiency.
Author’s summary: RJAH is reforming its spinal referral system after a surge in patient backlogs and unnecessary assessments revealed widespread inefficiencies.