Chairman's Foreword
 

Chairman's Foreword

Professor Sir Paul Curran, Chair of the National Joint Registry 

As I enter my second year as Chair of the National Joint Registry, I am delighted to contribute the Foreword to our Annual Report, in this our 20th year. The registry has grown and matured substantially over the past two decades, and we can take pride as we celebrate the extent of our evolution and the significance of our achievements since data collection began in 2003. 

As the largest registry of joint replacement surgery in the world and recognised as a ‘global exemplar’ of an implantable medical devices registry, the NJR has made and continues to make a considerable contribution. Notably, to patient safety, the orthopaedic profession, implant manufacturers, the NHS and independent sector hospitals and trusts, regulators and government and the many other stakeholders with whom we are pleased to work.

As in each of the past 20 years, this year we have delivered an ambitious programme of work, enhanced patient safety and facilitated world-leading research. The NJR Annual Report provides the opportunity for us to reflect on our achievements and further details of our key developments can be found online. It also provides a valuable chance for us to look to the year ahead, with the aim of building on our success and seeking new opportunities to develop the registry further, for the benefit of all our stakeholders. Highlights for the coming year include the launch of our new patient network and finalising our Memorandum of Understanding with HQIP and NHSE which will set out, for the first time, our mutual working and governance arrangements. We will also appoint our first non-clinical PhD student to work with us on AI and invest in an ambitious £1.6M+ development programme, which will see the NJR undertake some exciting new initiatives that will enable us to maintain our global leadership position. 

The standing of the NJR is, of course, due to the dedicated team of talented and committed professionals, who strive tirelessly to ensure its success. I have been proud to work with them over the past year and to witness first-hand their hard work and commitment.

There are some important individual contributions which I would like to acknowledge. First, during the year there have been two changes to the NJR Steering Committee. It has been a pleasure to welcome Dr Hassan Achakri, ABHI representative, who succeeded Jeff Stonadge in October 2022 and co-opted member Professor Deborah Eastwood, who succeeded Professor John Skinner as BOA President in September 2022. We look forward to welcoming her successor, Mr Simon Hodkinson, who takes up post in September 2023, and continuing our much-valued relationship with the orthopaedic profession. I thank Hassan and Deborah for their valuable contributions this year.

My grateful thanks also go to the NJR Regional Clinical Coordinators (RCCs) who underpin and champion the NJR’s work locally. There have been some changes to RCC committee membership, as terms of office expire, and new members are recruited. I would like to thank all those who left us over the year, for their valuable contributions and welcome their successors. I look forward to working with you.

I would particularly like to thank all members of the NJRSC and sub-committees, and specifically the chairs of those sub-committees for their clinical expertise and leadership: Mr Tim Wilton - Chair, NJR Medical Advisory Committee (and NJR Medical Director & Vice Chair); Mr Peter Howard - Chair, NJR Surgeon Performance and NJR Implant Scrutiny Committees; Professor Mike Reed - Chair, NJR Editorial Committee; Professor Mark Wilkinson - Chair, NJR Research Committee (and PROMs Working Group); and Mr Derek Pegg - Chair, NJR Data Quality and NJR RCC Committees (and MDSv8 Working Group). Without their dedication, the NJR would simply not be a world-leading joint replacement registry. I would encourage you to read the reports from each of the committee chairs at reports.njrcentre.org.uk which provide strategic oversight into the main work areas.

My appreciation also goes to our contract partners NEC Software Solutions UK Limited and the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, for the excellent data collection and outcome analysis that support the NJR’s work agenda and delivery of our objectives.

I would like to end by extending my thanks to the NJR Management Team, for supporting us all in our work and providing sound operational, contract and financial management, every day, on our behalf.

Finally, at the end of my first year and as we mark our anniversary, I am reminded of how immensely proud I am to be part of the extraordinary organisation that is the NJR and for the privilege to work with such talented professionals. I look forward to the coming year and next stage of the NJR’s evolution, as we begin to work closely with the nascent NHSE Outcomes Registries & Patient Safety Programme, where NHSE colleagues will be developing the national medical device information system for patient safety. It will be my pleasure, as Chair, to continue to work with all my NJR colleagues at this exciting time. 

As I enter my second year as Chair of the National Joint Registry, I am delighted to contribute the Foreword to our Annual Report, in this our 20th year. The registry has grown and matured substantially over the past two decades, and we can take pride as we celebrate the extent of our evolution and the significance of our achievements since data collection began in 2003. 

As the largest registry of joint replacement surgery in the world and recognised as a ‘global exemplar’ of an implantable medical devices registry, the NJR has made and continues to make a considerable contribution. Notably, to patient safety, the orthopaedic profession, implant manufacturers, the NHS and independent sector hospitals and trusts, regulators and government and the many other stakeholders with whom we are pleased to work.

As in each of the past 20 years, this year we have delivered an ambitious programme of work, enhanced patient safety and facilitated world-leading research. The NJR Annual Report provides the opportunity for us to reflect on our achievements and further details of our key developments can be found online [https://reports.njrcentre.org.uk/Developments]. It also provides a valuable chance for us to look to the year ahead, with the aim of building on our success and seeking new opportunities to develop the registry further, for the benefit of all our stakeholders. Highlights for the coming year include the launch of our new patient network and finalising our Memorandum of Understanding with HQIP and NHSE which will set out, for the first time, our mutual working and governance arrangements. We will also appoint our first non-clinical PhD student to work with us on AI and invest in an ambitious £1.6M+ development programme, which will see the NJR undertake some exciting new initiatives that will enable us to maintain our global leadership position. 

The standing of the NJR is, of course, due to the dedicated team of talented and committed professionals, who strive tirelessly to ensure its success. I have been proud to work with them over the past year and to witness first-hand their hard work and commitment.

There are some important individual contributions which I would like to acknowledge. First, during the year there have been two changes to the NJR Steering Committee. It has been a pleasure to welcome Dr Hassan Achakri, ABHI representative, who succeeded Jeff Stonadge in October 2022 and co-opted member Professor Deborah Eastwood, who succeeded Professor John Skinner as BOA President in September 2022. We look forward to welcoming her successor, Mr Simon Hodkinson, who takes up post in September 2023, and continuing our much-valued relationship with the orthopaedic profession. I thank Hassan and Deborah for their valuable contributions this year.

My grateful thanks also go to the NJR Regional Clinical Coordinators (RCCs) who underpin and champion the NJR’s work locally. There have been some changes to RCC committee membership, as terms of office expire, and new members are recruited. I would like to thank all those who left us over the year, for their valuable contributions and welcome their successors. I look forward to working with you.

I would particularly like to thank all members of the NJRSC and sub-committees, and specifically the chairs of those sub-committees for their clinical expertise and leadership: Mr Tim Wilton - Chair, NJR Medical Advisory Committee (and NJR Medical Director & Vice Chair); Mr Peter Howard - Chair, NJR Surgeon Performance and NJR Implant Scrutiny Committees; Professor Mike Reed - Chair, NJR Editorial Committee; Professor Mark Wilkinson - Chair, NJR Research Committee (and PROMs Working Group); and Mr Derek Pegg - Chair, NJR Data Quality and NJR RCC Committees (and MDSv8 Working Group). Without their dedication, the NJR would simply not be a world-leading joint replacement registry. I would encourage you to read the reports from each of the committee chairs at www.njrreports.org.uk [www.njrreports.org.uk] which provide strategic oversight into the main work areas.

My appreciation also goes to our contract partners NEC Software Solutions UK Limited and the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, for the excellent data collection and outcome analysis that support the NJR’s work agenda and delivery of our objectives.

I would like to end by extending my thanks to the NJR Management Team, for supporting us all in our work and providing sound operational, contract and financial management, every day, on our behalf.

Finally, at the end of my first year and as we mark our anniversary, I am reminded of how immensely proud I am to be part of the extraordinary organisation that is the NJR and for the privilege to work with such talented professionals. I look forward to the coming year and next stage of the NJR’s evolution, as we begin to work closely with the nascent NHSE Outcomes Registries & Patient Safety Programme, where NHSE colleagues will be developing the national medical device information system for patient safety. It will be my pleasure, as Chair, to continue to work with all my NJR colleagues at this exciting time.