Improved processing times: the Oswestry histopathology laboratory experience

As the UK’s leading orthopaedic hospital, The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital (RJAH) treats patients from all over the country. A specialist hospital with a worldwide reputation for innovation and research, the trust provides elective orthopaedic surgery and muscloskeletal medical services with specific additional areas of expertise including spinal injuries and metabolic disorders affecting muscular development.

The hospital was founded by a visionary nurse, Dame Agnes Hunt, and an eminent orthopaedic surgeon, Sir Robert Jones, early in the last century, and the RJAH trust is committed to continuing their legacy by leading the way in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, raising standards and taking a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Located in Oswestry, on the Shropshire and North Wales border, the hospital serves a local population of approximately 1.8 million with a customer service base extending both nationally and internationally.

Bone tumour specialty
The hospital is one of only five specialist sites in the UK approved for the diagnosis and surgical management of bone tumours, a service fully funded by the National Commissioning Group (NCG). The bone tumour service has continued to grow year-on-year since its introduction in 2004. Patients are seen from a large geographical area covering Shropshire, Greater Manchester, the north-west Midlands and Wales, and all patients to date have been seen within the national access times for assessment and treatment for both England and Wales.