Joint Replacements: Waiting Lists

Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 22 July 2022.

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Photo of Ian Paisley Jnr Ian Paisley Jnr Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Communities and Local Government), Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for joint replacement surgery; and what steps his Department is taking to support people awaiting that surgery.

Photo of Ian Paisley Jnr Ian Paisley Jnr Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Communities and Local Government), Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for joint replacement surgery for arthritis; and what steps his Department is taking to support people awaiting that surgery.

Photo of Maria Caulfield Maria Caulfield Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Joint replacement surgery is being prioritised through the High Volume Low Complexity programme, which focuses on improving clinical pathways and quality of care. The programme adopts best clinical and operational practice and aims to establish fast-track surgical hubs for high volume elective procedures, such as hip and knee joint replacements, to reduce waiting times. An additional £1.5 billion is being invested in elective services, including for new surgical hubs and increased bed capacity, including for joint replacement surgery.

In the ‘Delivery Plan for tackling the Covid-19 backlog of elective care’, sets out how care pathways will be simplified for patients and their carers. The pathway improvement programme will focus on the most common types of care, including musculoskeletal (MSK) services. NHS England is currently working with Versus Arthritis on the development of new MSK pathways and a MSK strategy. This includes long-term conditions, pain management, personalised care and supporting patients waiting and preparing for surgery.

Through collaboration with the British Orthopaedic Association, the British Society for Rheumatology, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance and Versus Arthritis, NHS England has also developed self-management resources for patients awaiting surgery to manage the physical and mental aspects of their condition at home.

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