Shake-up at Oswestry Hospital Spinal Services as Patients Face Long Waits
Hundreds of patients across England and Wales who sought help for back problems have waited up to a year, only to learn that they do not require specialist treatment at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Shropshire.
Hospital leaders have been informed that the nationwide system for referring spinal cases is under review. The goal is to resolve inefficiencies that have left many patients waiting unnecessarily long for appointments.
New National Approach Introduced
In January, a team from the NHS’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme introduced a proposed “single point of access” model at RJAH. The initiative is currently being trialled and is expected to launch fully next year.
“The intention is to make sure patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
Referral Surge and Capacity Challenges
During a hospital board meeting on November 5, it was revealed that a steady national increase in referrals is affecting many hospitals. At RJAH, referrals surged from 4,500 in 2018–2019 to 6,802 in 2024–2025, including 4,021 patients from England and 2,781 from Wales. The trend shows no sign of slowing down, creating a growing strain between capacity and demand.
High Discharge Rates Raise Concerns
One official highlighted a concern over current treatment pathways, citing a discharge rate of 32 percent:
“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.”
Many patients are still waiting roughly 52 weeks for an outpatient consultation, prompting hospital administrators to accelerate reforms aimed at improving efficiency and patient outcomes.
Author Summary
RJAH Hospital is reforming its spinal referral system after a major rise in cases left many patients waiting long periods for care they ultimately did not require.