Nursing staff at two of the leading specialist hospitals in the country are set to work more closely together, following the agreement of a new partnership designed to enhance orthopaedic care.
This will also include jointly planning their workforce requirements, the two specialist providers said in a statement announcing their strategic alliance.
“This alliance is a bold step forward in shaping the future of specialist orthopaedic care”
Matthew Hartland
The organisations involved are the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH) and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (ROH).
They said their new strategic alliance “reflects a shared vision to deliver consistent, high-quality orthopaedic care, closer to home for the communities served”.
The trusts have jointly signed a memorandum of understanding to set out the terms of their alliance, which they said was designed to improve orthopaedic and musculoskeletal services across the UK.
This new partnership, they said, builds on a “strong foundation of collaboration and shared values”, with both trusts recognised nationally for their “specialist expertise” in elective orthopaedics.
Under the terms of alliance, the two organisations have pledged to work together more closely to strengthen the delivery and sustainability of specialist services.
They have also promised to share learning, research and innovation to improve outcomes, support staff development through joint workforce planning, and maximise capacity and efficiency.
While both organisations will continue to operate independently, the alliance will provide a “flexible and focused framework for collaboration on areas of mutual benefit”, they added.
Examples of benefits cited in the statement include the acceleration of elective care reform, improved health equity, and expanded research partnerships.
RJAH chief executive Stacey-Lea Keegan said: “This alliance will help us tackle shared challenges and unlock new opportunities to deliver world-class care.
“In different departments right across the hospital, I already see great examples of where close collaboration with ROH is generating ideas and raising standards to the benefit of our patients. Through this strategic alliance, we will take that further.”
Matthew Hartland, chief executive of the ROH, added: “This alliance is a bold step forward in shaping the future of specialist orthopaedic care.
“By combining our strengths, we are not just improving services, we are setting a new standard for collaboration, innovation, and patient-centred excellence,” he said.
Located in Oswestry, the RJAH serves the local population in Shropshire, North and Mid Wales, Cheshire and the West Midlands, with a patient catchment extending nationally.
It provides elective orthopaedic surgery and musculoskeletal medical services, as well as having particular expertise in spinal injuries, bone tumour and disorders affecting muscular development.
The ROH is one of the largest specialist orthopaedic units in Europe, offering planned orthopaedic surgery to people locally, nationally, and internationally.
