What is the NJR?

Hip and knee joint replacements have become common and highly successful operations that bring many patients improved mobility and relief from pain. Thousands of hip and knee joint replacement operations take place in the UK every year.

A wide range of implants can be used in the joint replacement operations that take place in NHS and independent healthcare sectors across England and Wales. The Registry helps to monitor the performance of these implants and the effectiveness of different types of surgery, improving clinical standards and benefiting patients, clinicians and the orthopaedic industry.

The National Joint Registry (NJR) was set up by the Department of Health and Welsh Assembly Government to collect information on all hip and knee replacement operations and to monitor the performance of replacement hip and knee joints (implants).

From the 1 April 2008, the NJR was incorporated into the National Clinical Audit and Patients' Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). NCAPOP was previously managed by the Healthcare Commission and the NJR by the Department of Health. Both are now managed by a consortium comprised of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal College of Nursing and the Long Term Conditions Alliance, known as the 'Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership'.

Aims and objectives

The NJR will help to:

• ensure patients obtain the best clinical care during and following their joint replacement operation
• ensure that NHS and other healthcare resources are best used
• improve surgical practice through the identification of best practice in orthopaedic units and hospitals
• highlight any implants showing high failure rates and allow their prompt removal from the market if necessary
• improve evidence-based purchasing of joint replacement implants for orthopaedic units and hospitals
• provide patients, clinicians, healthcare purchasers, commissioners, regulators and implant suppliers with evidence for which are the best performing implants.