Shake-up at Oswestry Hospital Spinal Services
Hundreds of patients from England and Wales suffering from back pain have faced year-long waits at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Shropshire, only to be informed later that they did not require specialist treatment.
Leaders of the hospital were told that the entire referral process for spinal patients is undergoing major changes. The reform aims to fix inefficiencies and improve how patients are directed to appropriate care.
National NHS Review and New Access System
In January, a national NHS team from the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme visited RJAH to introduce a “single point of access” model. This system, currently in its trial phase, is set to go live next year. Its goal is to ensure that patients receive what was described as:
“the right care at the right place at the right time.”
Rising Referrals and Capacity Challenges
At a board meeting on November 5, officials discussed what they called a national rise in hospital referrals. At RJAH, the number of spinal referrals has increased dramatically from 4,500 in 2018–19 to 6,802 in 2024–25, including 4,021 from England and 2,781 from Wales. The trend continues to grow, creating a serious mismatch between capacity and demand.
High Discharge Rate Signals Pathway Issues
During the same meeting, an official highlighted concerns about the current patient pathways.
“What’s really interesting is a 32 per cent discharge rate,” she said. “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 also noted that patients are currently waiting around 52 weeks for an outpatient appointment.
Summary
The spinal care system at RJAH is being overhauled as long waits and high discharge rates reveal systemic inefficiencies and pressure on hospital capacity.