NJR Regional Clinical Coordinators (RCC) Committee

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside my Regional Clinical Coordinator (RCC) colleagues, who continue to play a vital role as the link between the National Joint Registry (NJR) and the front line of orthopaedic care in hospitals across the UK. As well as the RCC’s, the committee membership is made up of senior members of the NJR Management Team as well as representation from our Lot 1 contractors, including our NJR compliance officers. As ever, the NJR has pursued a wide range of strategic initiatives, delivering an ambitious and forward-looking programme of work.

The RCC network has been instrumental in shaping and supporting many of these initiatives. One of our key focus areas has been driving improvements in data quality. This year saw the launch of a new escalation framework aimed at identifying and supporting hospitals that have not yet achieved specific data quality targets. The framework provides a clear pathway for improvement, combining support, accountability, and a shared understanding of the challenges. RCCs have been an integral part of this process, and we are encouraged by the positive improvements already being seen across the board.

The NJR continues to be deeply embedded within the fabric of the orthopaedic sector, with its scope evolving in step with a health environment that is growing in both complexity and demand. This calls for even closer collaboration between hospitals and the NJR. RCCs have played a key role in reinvigorating the Clinical Liaison Lead (CLL) role within hospitals. Working closely with newly nominated CLLs – who serve as the main points of contact for NJR-related matters – RCCs are helping to ensure that NJR processes run smoothly, and that coordination with our NJR compliance officers is effective and consistent.

RCCs remain central to fostering strong partnerships, open communication, and meaningful collaboration between hospital orthopaedic departments and the NJR. This year, the network has supported two national audits, including those for Shoulder and Manipulation Under Anaesthesia (MUA), and continued to serve as a valuable sounding board for NJR proposals. Notably, RCCs provided key feedback on the proposal to promote greater transparency of performance through public disclosure of data quality Issues. Hospitals undergoing the escalation process, would be identified while also showcasing the actions being taken to address any issues.

Most future meetings are likely to continue using online video conferencing facilities. However, as for other NJR committees, it is highly desirable to have at least one face-to-face meeting a year, to enable the opportunity for us all to meet any new RCC members and for extended, usefully engaging interaction.

Over the last twelve months, the RCC committee has seen two members complete their terms of appointment, and one step down. We thank Mr Sebastian Dawson-Bowling and also Mr Timothy Petheram, for their service and wish them well. We are very pleased to have four new members recently join the committee this year: Mr Amit Kotecha, Mr Peter Cnudde and Mr Andy Phillipson as RCCs representing West Midlands, Wales and North West respectively with Mr Sameer Jain, representing the British Hip Society. This enables further coverage across the NJR’s wide geographic regions. We are also looking forward to seeing some of the RCCs serve on other committees, across the broad remit of the work of NJR, in the future.

We continue to recruit to vacant positions and trust that we will fill these with enthusiastic and experienced surgeons who will also be a great support to the hospital staff in their respective regions.

As we close out the year, we look ahead with renewed focus. With ongoing changes in the healthcare landscape, the RCC role is more important than ever, serving as the crucial interface between hospitals and the registry. In the year ahead, we will continue to explore how best to leverage the RCC network to enhance our collective impact and further our shared commitment to improving patient safety.

Finally, I would like to add that I am extremely grateful to all the RCCs, for their valuable input and their continued commitment to the NJR.