Shake-up at Oswestry hospital spinal services as figures reveal patients face long waits only to be discharged
Hundreds of patients from England and Wales suffering from back pain have faced year-long waits at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Shropshire, only to be informed that they don’t require specialist treatment.
Hospital leaders have acknowledged major issues in the referral system and confirmed that a complete review is underway to solve the backlog. The changes are being guided by the NHS national team from the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme.
New Access System Under Development
In January, the GIRFT team visited RJAH to present a new approach called the single point of access. The model is currently being trialled and is expected to start formally next year. Its aim is to ensure that patients receive suitable care more efficiently.
“The intention is to make sure that patients get the right care at the right place at the right time,” the team explained during a recent meeting.
Rising Demand and Referral Surge
Officials described a national surge in hospital referrals that is affecting capacity. At RJAH specifically, referrals increased from 4,500 in 2018–2019 to 6,802 in 2024–2025. Of these, 4,021 originated from England and 2,781 from Wales.
An NHS official stated, “We are not seeing any sign of that slowing down, and it’s causing a clear capacity and demand imbalance.”
High Discharge Rates Raise Concerns
Concerns were raised about the hospital’s 32 percent discharge rate.
“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,” another official said.
Most patients currently wait about 52 weeks to be seen in the outpatients department, highlighting ongoing pressure on the service.
Author’s Summary
RJAH Hospital is overhauling its spinal service referrals after a surge in demand left many patients waiting up to a year for appointments they ultimately didn’t require.
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