What is the NJR?
The National Joint Registry (NJR) of England and Wales was established in 2002. Its purpose is to define, improve and maintain the quality of care of individuals receiving hip, knee and ankle joint replacement surgery across the NHS and the independent healthcare sector.
Hip, knee and ankle joint replacements have become common and highly successful operations that bring many patients improved mobility and relief from pain. Thousands of such operations take place in the UK every year.
A wide range of implants can be used in the joint replacement operations that are carried out in the 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.
From 1 April 2008, the management of the NJR was transferred from the Department of Health to the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), a consortium comprising the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal College of Nursing and National Voices.
Aims and objectives
- To establish certain demographic and diagnostic characteristics of patients undergoing hip, knee and ankle joint replacement surgery throughout England and Wales.
- To ensure that patients obtain the best clinical care during and following their joint replacement operation.
- To ensure that NHS and other healthcare resources are best used.
- To improve surgical practice through the identification of best practice in orthopaedic units and hospitals.
- To isolate any implants showing high failure rates so as to allow their prompt removal from the market if necessary.
- To improve evidence-based purchasing of joint replacement implants for orthopaedic units and hospitals.
- To provide evidence of the best performing implants to patients, clinicians,healthcare purchasers, commissioners, regulators and implant suppliers.