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Have your say about ideas to reduce the number of hospitals providing bones and joints operations for adults

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Why things may be changing?

Currently, you can have a planned operation for your bones and joints, such as hip and knee replacements, in one of 10 hospitals across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington. Information from all hospital suggests that where you have your surgery, may:

  • affect whether you see the benefits of having the procedure in the first place
  • make you more likely to need a replacement prosthesis
  • involve a longer stay in hospital
  • make it more likely for you to have to go back to hospital
  • mean you will be more prone to developing an infection

North London Partners in Health and Care (the partnership of health and care organisations from the five London boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington) want to eliminate the differences in quality, improve your experience and ensure value for money.

What may change?

Doctors have looked at research about the planned operations for bones and joints, such as hip and knee replacements. As a result, they are proposing to reduce the number of hospitals providing the procedures. Instead, the doctors are suggesting to introduce large centres focusing on planned operations for bones and joints. These could be located in dedicated buildings or form part of hospital wards.

Having the large centres focussing on planned operations may:

  • prevent cancellations
  • reduce the likelihood of you developing an infection following a surgery
  • speed up your recovery
  • mean shorter waiting times for your procedure
  • help with recruitment and retention of staff

We have created a summary document which outlines the ideas being proposed.

What does this mean to me?

As an Enfield resident, it is likely you had your surgery or are scheduled to have your surgery at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (North Mid) or Chase Farm Hospital, part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Healthwatch Enfield has also had feedback from local people who had their procedure carried out at BMI hospitals: Cavell or Kings Oak.

If the changes are introduced, it could mean that you may have to travel further for your assessment, surgery and rehabilitation.

Locations of the centres have not yet been decided; this is your opportunity to have a say about an idea of bringing services together.

How to get involved

You have until 19th October 2018 to share your views. You can do this by:

Patricia Mecinska, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Enfield, said: ‘This is an early stage of the process of reviewing planned operations for bones and joints for adults across the five boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington. Nonetheless, it is important that as many Enfield residents as possible share their views. At Healthwatch Enfield we will be actively collecting local people’s feedback on the ideas proposed as we want to ensure that the voices of our communities are heard and taken into consideration’.

Want more information?

You can simply download our summary of ideas or read the full document on the North London Partners in Health and Care website.

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