Professional Practice Strategy

Restoring Your Mobility – extract:

The aim of orthopaedic surgery is to restore pain free mobility.

The burden of long term musculoskeletal conditions, which impair mobility and therefore independence, is increasing due to an aging but healthier population.

Although the science and practice of orthopaedic surgery has developed the demand has stretched the capacity of current NHS surgical resources and infrastructure, manifested by steadily rising waiting lists. The current financial situation constrains the ability of the NHS to increase sustainable capacity.

This is a critically important initiative.

Conventional solutions to the mismatch between demand and capacity of withholding access to care or increasing short term capacity – for example the use of the independent sector treatment centres, risk the safety and quality of care and neither are sustainable.

Innovative approaches are required that optimise existing structures, resources and programmes in ways not previously considered, harness the opportunities in the emerging healthcare landscape, and focus on many of the benefits available through the QIPP. In this way we can safely improve quality, decrease unexpected variation optimise expenditure and release resource.

An important strand of the Practice Strategy is the ‘Getting it Right First Time’ project being led by Professor Tim Briggs. More information about this piece of work can be found here.

Purpose

This short strategy paper sets out the problem, based on six interconnected elements, including the challenge to clinicians. It sets out a five part solution encompassing quality, integration (across primary and secondary care), effective provider partnerships, radically improved implant surveillance and culture change. The Practice Strategy MindMap (see right) describes the six guiding principles for Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery – click on the image to expand.

Download the full strategy document below: