The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) is a specialist

orthopaedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

hospital located in the

London Borough of Harrow The London Borough of Harrow () is a London borough in northwest London, England; it forms part of Outer London. It borders four other London boroughs Barnet to the east of ancient Watling Street (now the A5 road), Brent to the southeast, Ea ...

, United Kingdom, and a part of Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. It provides the most comprehensive range of neuro-musculoskeletal health care in the UK, including acute spinal injury, complex bone tumour treatment, orthopaedic medicine and specialist rehabilitation for chronic back pain. The RNOH is a major teaching centre and around 20% of orthopaedic surgeons in the UK receive training there.

History

The hospital was established by way of a merger of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (founded in 1840 and based in Hanover Square) and the National Orthopaedic Hospital (founded in 1836 and based in Great Portland Street) in August 1905. The City Orthopaedic Hospital (founded in 1851 and based in Hatton Garden) joined the merger in 1907. New facilities for the merged entities were built on Great Portland Street and were opened by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

in July 1909. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the hospital in Great Portland Street became an emergency hospital for the military and from early 1918 also accommodated discharged disabled soldiers. The Great Portland Street site continued to accommodate short-term in-patients after the war. In 1922 the hospital management acquired the

Mary Wardell Mary Wardell (18 August 1832 - 20 January 1917) was a British philanthropist whose establishment for the treatment of Scarlet Fever reduced the prevalence of the infection in London. Hospital work The daughter of a wine merchant, and educated ...

Convalescent Home for Scarlet Fever in

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, which ...

and established its country branch there. The

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

laid the foundation stone for a major extension at the Stanmore site shortly thereafter. The Stanmore site started to accommodate long-term in-patients at this time. In April 1979, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

opened a Rehabilitation Assessment Unit at the Stanmore site, built with funds raised by the British Motor Racing Drivers Association in memory of

Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver and team owner, who was the Formula One World Champion twice, winning in and as well as being runner up on three occasions (1963, 1964 and 1965). Despite ...

who had once been a patient of the hospital. In March 1984 the

Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton). The title was firs ...

opened a spinal injuries unit at the Stanmore site. Later that year the lease on the building in Great Portland Street ended and services were transferred to the Stanmore site. The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital has had a central London out-patients clinic on Bolsover Street since 1909; the old facility closed in 2006 and a completely re-built facility opened on Bolsover Street in 2009. In 2016 Norman Sharp, a 91-year-old British man, was recognised as having the world's oldest

hip replacement Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant, that is, a hip prosthesis. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi (half) replacement. Such joint replacement o ...

implants. The two vitallium implants had been implanted at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in November 1948. The 67-year-old implants had such an unusually long life, partly because they had not required the typical replacement of such implants, but also because of Mr Sharp's young age of 23 when they were implanted, owing to a childhood case of

septic arthritis Acute septic arthritis, infectious arthritis, suppurative arthritis, osteomyelitis, or joint infection is the invasion of a joint by an infectious agent resulting in joint inflammation. Generally speaking, symptoms typically include redness, hea ...

Services

As a national centre of excellence, the RNOH treats patients from across the country, many of whom have been referred by other hospital consultants for

second opinion A second opinion is an opinion on a matter disputed by two or more parties. Law In legal cases, a second opinion which contradicts the opinion of a jointly retained expert may be disregarded as not being impartial. Consumer rights In cas ...

s or for treatment of complex or rare conditions. It broadcasts a hospital radio called

Radio Brockley {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Radio Brockley was founded in 1966 to provide a hospital radio station for the patients of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, North West London. The station was named Radio Brockley after the hil ...

Performance

It was named by the ''

Health Service Journal ''Health Service Journal'' (''HSJ'') is a news service that covers policy and management in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. History The '' Poor Law Officers' Journal'' was established in 1892. In 1930, it changed its name after ...

'' as one of the top hundred NHS trusts to work for in 2015. At that time it had 1310 full-time equivalent staff and a sickness absence rate of 2.88%. 87% of staff recommend it as a place for treatment and 71% recommended it as a place to work. It expects to lose £15.2m in income, 11% of its turnover during 2016–17 under changes to the NHS tariff, more than a 25% of what it received last year for inpatient work. In 2014 the

Care Quality Commission The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom. It was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. I ...

recorded the Hospital as requiring improvement.

Notable staff

* Sir Herbert Seddon (1903–1977), orthopaedic surgeon and author of ''Surgical Disorders of the Peripheral Nerves'' *

Audrey Smith Audrey Ursula Smith (21 May 1915 – 3 June 1981) was a British cryobiologist, who discovered the use of glycerol to protect human red blood cells during freezing. Early life and education Audrey Smith was born in India on 21 May 1915, and ...

(1915–1981), cryobiologist * David Trevor (1905–1987), Orthopaedic Surgeon * John Cholmeley (1902–1995), Orthopaedic Surgeon * James Noel Chalmers Barclay (Ginger) Wilson (1919–2006), Orthopaedic Surgeon * Rainer Campbell-Connolly (1919–2009), Neuro-Surgeon * Mary Elizabeth Pinsent,

Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. Foundation The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Victoria of the Un ...

(1868-1960), Assistant Matron / Acting Matron 1904-1906, Matron 1906-1933. She had leave of absence 1914-1919 and served as matron in the

Territorial Force Nursing Service The Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS) was established in 1908, part of the reform of the British auxiliary forces introduced by Richard Haldane which created the Territorial Force. Nurses with at least three years of training were able to ...

and Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve). Pinsent trained at

The London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and spe ...

under Matron

Eva Luckes Eva Charlotte Ellis Luckes (8 July 1854 – 16 February 1919) was Matron of The London Hospital from 1880 to 1919. Early life Eva Abigail Charlotte Ellis Luckes (she herself spelled her name Lückes with the umlaut) was born in Exeter, Devo ...

.Mary Eliza Pinsent, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/1, 201; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London.

References

External links