Waiting times at Oswestry orthopaedic hospital probed

An orthopaedic hospital in Shropshire is being investigated over its operation waiting times.

Health watchdog Monitor said patients at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital near Oswestry were waiting longer than the 18-week national target for procedures.

It said there were also concerns about the accuracy of performance figures.

The trust that runs the hospital says it has been taking steps to improve since the problem was raised in March.

That month, the trust said 70% of admitted patients were treated within 18 weeks, compared with a national target of 90%.

Meanwhile 89% of day surgery patients were treated within 18 weeks, compared with a national target of 95%.

Monitor regional director Katherine Cawley said: "Some patients aren't being treated within a reasonable amount of time at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt.

"We need to find out what the problem is and how we can best support the trust in improving this and how it is run.

"We are investigating the trust to find out why it isn't meeting these targets, and if we need to take further action to make sure local patients aren't waiting too long."

Trust chief executive Wendy Farrington said the majority of patients were treated within the national standards.

"The trust has implemented a recovery plan to ensure it is back in compliance with waiting time targets and we are progressing well against this plan," she said.

She said she was sorry some patients were waiting longer for surgery, and there were already signs of improvement but, as a specialist trust, it faced continuous high demand.

"Our objective is to provide the best care to our patients and to improve access to our services," she added.