New partnership aims to improve standard of care for orthopedic patients

Collaboration cements long-term commitment to improving standard of care for orthopedic patients

Johnson & Johnson Managed Services, part of Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust today announced a new 15-year partnership to deliver an Orthopedics Centre of Excellence at Guy’s Hospital.

Developed with the needs of patients at its heart, it reflects a joint commitment to improving the future of healthcare through innovation and collaboration.

The NHS is facing increasing resource challenges; by 2030 it is estimated that there will be around 15 million people in the UK over the age of 65. Two recent reports led by Lord Carter and Professor Briggs address these challenges with findings that aim to help the NHS improve efficiency and quality of care for patients, whilst reducing cost.

This new partnership between Johnson & Johnson Managed Services and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is designed to optimize the standard of care for orthopedic patients by addressing the challenges highlighted by Lord Carter and Professor Briggs and implementing some of the key recommendations outlined in their reports.

As part of the Managed Services agreement, the orthopedics center at Guy’s Hospital will be expanded and redeveloped, meaning more patients will have access to services. Plans include the development of an additional operating theater in year one and eight new state-of-the-art theaters by the end of year three. This Centre of Excellence will also provide a hub for education and training, and offer a dedicated space to facilitate leading-edge research to improve clinical outcomes for patients.

Johnson & Johnson Managed Services will also be responsible for streamlining the supply chain through a Managed Service agreement for the procurement of devices, surgical instruments and implants required for orthopedic surgery which will improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Mr Peter Earnshaw, Clinical Director of Surgery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said:

We have a longstanding relationship with Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies as one of the leading suppliers of orthopedic devices and implants, and previous collaborations have already provided real benefits for our patients.

For example, The Care4Today program, which we developed jointly, enables patients to take a more active role in preparing for surgery and in their post-operative recovery, supported by a multi-disciplinary team in the hospital and at home. As a result, patients having a hip or knee replacement are now able to go home just one or two days after surgery, having previously spent up to a week in hospital. We have even carried out our first joint replacement as an outpatient procedure.

As we redesign patient pathways and introduce innovative new technology, this will allow us to improve the overall experience of patients having surgery in our institution.

The Johnson & Johnson Managed Services partnership will further increase the time that frontline clinicians can focus on patient care and enable us to identify opportunities to improve the supply chain. Through the development of new operating theaters, it will also increase capacity so that we can treat more patients more quickly and will give our clinical teams opportunities to be at the forefront of new developments in orthopedic care.

Michelle Brennan, Company Group Chair of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Europe, Middle East and Africa, concurred:

This latest collaboration is testament to our ongoing commitment to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and our commitment to join forces with health care systems to help them address their most pressing challenges.

Source: http://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/