BOA welcomes JCST document on 'Training in the Private Sector'

For several years, a number of patients in England have been treated by the NHS in private hospitals. The proportion of NHS patients having elective orthopaedic operations in private hospitals has increased in recent years. This is due to ongoing pressures on existing NHS services and the BOA recognises this as a useful way for patients to have necessary operations in a timely fashion. We are however concerned that this can adversely affect trainees coming into the profession who need to gain supervised training and experience of this type of surgery. We must continue to provide high quality training and experience for the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons.

The BOA welcomes the publication this week of the JCST document ‘Training in the private sector: Guidance on Training Implications and Principles to Consider’.

This document notes that:
“The private sector is now delivering surgical care for some NHS patients. Overall, this remains a small proportion of NHS surgical care, but in some regions the numbers are greater. This is a way to deliver safe and effective care while retaining the opportunity to train the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons. The BOA supports the opportunity to train surgeons wherever the operation is performed.”

Orthopaedics is a specialty where many NHS operations can be delivered in partnership with private hospitals, to increase capacity. We must not lose the training opportunities with these cases.  Some commissioners are planning to deliver more elective orthopaedic operations in private hospitals as part of a strategy to relieve winter pressures (for example as recently announced by University Hospitals Plymouth).

Our President Professor Philip Turner will speak at the BOTA Congress later today and will raise these issues with trainees at the meeting.