On Monday 23 November 2020 the campaign to prioritise extra capacity in orthopaedics surgery ‘went’ to Parliament in the form of a roundtable event. The virtual roundtable brought together a wider range of stakeholders including representatives of charities, surgeons, clinicians and industry to make the case in Parliament as to why orthopaedics should be a priority for the NHS over the next few years.
The event was hosted by Dr James Davies MP – a GP, member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee – and a Conservative MP for the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales. Dr Davies has a long held interest in building capacity into the NHS to tackle waiting lists and the growing backlog, and has offered his continued support for the campaign, as we engage with more MPs from all parties to see progress on this issue.
During the event those who attended heard first hand from Caryl Wright from Norfolk, who is waiting for joint replacement surgery in one of her knees, following a previous surgery on one of her hips. Caryl – a campaigner with the charity Versus Arthritis – explained the impact of waiting so long for surgery and living with pain is having on her overall quality of life and the importance of mobility to maintain her independence.
One of the other speakers, Professor John Skinner – a Vice-President of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) and Orthopaedic surgeon at RNOH Stanmore with a special interest in hip and knee replacement surgery – explained that ‘green’ or non-Covid19 sites were the answer to ensuring more patients could access surgery in the NHS in safe environments. Professor Skinner also explained the causes behind the latest statistics showing that in September 2020, 31,000 people on waiting list over 1yr (was 436 in Jan); 271,000 people on waiting list over 18 weeks (was 105,000 in January); April-Sept: 212,000 fewer admitted operations than same time in 2019. Professor Skinner spoke about the detrimental impact waiting on waiting lists has on people’s health and well-being, and their ability to keep as mobile as possible, particularly for those in later life.
The final speaker for the event was Sue Brown – the Chief Executive of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) – an umbrella body representing the breadth of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and professions. Sue highlighted that addressing the issue of a large backlog had not been caused by the pandemic, but had exacerbated an existing challenge facing the NHS. Sue also emphasised that building capacity into the system also requires appropriate rehabilitation support in the community post-operations, and that keeping in regular contact with patients with advice and information through-out the process is vitally important.
The event was organised by the ABHI Orthopaedics Group, a special interest group made up of leading orthopaedic implant manufacturers. The vision of the group is to make a positive contribution to orthopaedic care and help shape future delivery for NHS patients.
The group will be building on this event to persuade more MPs about the importance of prioritising Orthopaedics surgery, particularly in light of the commitments made by Rishi Sunak MP in the Spending Review, about extra resources to tackle backlogs in the NHS.