Monitor
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Investigation launched into governance at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Health sector regulator Monitor has launched an investigation into the persistent failure of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to prevent patients having to wait more than 18 weeks for treatment.
The Shropshire-based hospital carries out specialist bone and joint surgery, and is a leading national centre for hip and knee replacements. But it is struggling to meet national waiting time targets.
Although the hospital is now treating a larger number of patients within 18 weeks, the hospital has not been able to reduce the backlog of patients waiting more than this as fast as it had planned.
As a consequence, Monitor has opened a formal investigation into whether the Trust has breached the conditions of its licence. No decision has been taken about whether regulatory action is required and an announcement about the outcome of the investigation will be made in due course.
Adam Cayley, Regional Director at Monitor said:
"The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a strong reputation and we have no evidence that the Trust is providing poor quality of care to its patients. Its small size and the specialist nature of what it does mean that there are a range of issues that might cause it to have difficulty in meeting referral to treatment targets.
"However it has twice failed to fully implement a recovery plan and, despite some significant progress having been made, it is still failing to meet its target to reduce the number of patients waiting over 18 weeks."
Notes to editors
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For media enquiries please contact Phil Groves, Senior Media Relations Manager, on 020 7340 2444 or (phil.groves@monitor.gov.uk).
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Monitor is the sector regulator of NHS funded health care services. Under the Health and Social Care 2012 Act its main duty is to protect and promote the interests of patients.
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Information about Monitor's role can be found here
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The notification of decision to open a formal investigation into compliance with the Trust's Licence can be found here
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Monitor's Enforcement Guidance sets out the procedure we will follow when we become aware of a potential breach of the licence. When we decide to begin an investigation, we will notify the provider, set out what we are investigating, the key contacts at Monitor and the expected timetable. The provider will be given the opportunity to make representations. Monitor's Enforcement Guidance press release can be found here
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NHS foundation trusts with known or potential breaches of the provider licence can be found here
