NCSOS Project

The NCSOS project was commissioned by the Welsh Orthopaedic Board on behalf of then NHS chief executive Mr Andrew Goodall and commenced its work in September 2021.

The NCSOS team have provided 34 immediate actions for health boards to enact to prevent ongoing patient harm, 155 recommendations to ensure transformation of sub specialty clinical pathways, and a long term blueprint for the future provision of orthopaedic services.

The 3 overarching recommendations of the project are:

1) Establish a fully resourced Welsh Orthopaedic Network (WON) with authority to implement the range of actions/ recommendations as outlined in NCSOS 1, 2a-f and GiRFT reports.

2) Empower clinicians through the formation of National subspecialty Clinical Reference Groups (CRG’s) within the WON.

3) Develop three new build standalone orthopaedic hubs in NW, SWW and SEW.

Approval to establish the WON and to fund the clinical leadership structure has been achieved, however, the development of new standalone Orthopaedic hubs/centres of excellence was rejected by the Minister for Health & Social Services due to lack of capital funding.

Instead, new parameters were set for the NCSOS team to explore – “use existing estate differently”; which forms the basis of NCSOS 4.

The Welsh Orthopaedic Society fully endorses the approach the NCSOS team have undertaken and fully supports their recommendations.

NCSOS Report 1-3: The Blueprint

Annex 2

Annex 5

Annex 8

Annex 11