Department of Health: National Joint Registry of England and Wales – Appointment of new Steering Committee Chair

The Department of Health has appointed Mrs Laurel Powers-Freeling to serve as the new Chair of the National Joint Registry Steering Committee from 1 April 2011, after an open competition moderated by the Appointments Commission.

The appointment follows the resignation of Mr Bill Darling in November 2009, since when Vice Chairman Professor Paul Gregg held the post of Acting Chair.

Commenting on Mrs Powers-Freeling’s appointment, NHS Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh said:

“I am delighted with the appointment of Laura Powers-Freeling to the National Joint Registry. She is a very experienced Chair and will ensure that a strong patient and public perspective supports the impressive work of the medical and surgical specialists on the Registry and its Steering Committee. As we work to develop the contribution of national clinical audits and registries to quality improvement activity across the NHS, the lay voice is becoming ever more important.”

Mrs Powers-Freeling said:

"I look forward to working with the National Joint Registry as it continues to build on its extensive participation and extend its scope. Having experienced a successful hip replacement myself, I appreciate the important source of data and insights the NJR provides to medical and surgery professionals, and the contribution good information makes to quality and effectiveness of care for joint replacement recipients."

Notes to editors

1. Mrs Powers-Freeling is an experienced finance professional, having worked at senior board level in customer-oriented services such as Marks and Spencer. She has experience of joint replacement as a patient.

2. The National Joint Registry of England and Wales (NJR) is the largest hip, knee and ankle joint database in the world and is managed by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). It was set up in 2002 by the Department of Health and Welsh Assembly Government to collect information on hip and knee replacement operations and to monitor the performance of replacement hip and knee joints (implants). It later extended its scope to include ankle replacements. Its purpose is to define, improve and maintain the quality of care of individuals receiving joint replacement surgery across the NHS and the independent healthcare sector. It now contains over one million records, and recently announced a series of new ambitions:

· Adding shoulder and elbow joints to its records
· Geographical expansion of the NJR remit
· Increased international collaboration with other registries
· A research and publication strategy that utilises the biggest database of its kind in the world
· Driving greater compliance among NHS and independent organisations
· Providing enhanced stakeholder feedback to managers, clinicians, suppliers and patients.

3. For media enquiries, please call the Department of Health please call the Newsdesk on 020 7210 5221.

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