RJAH paediatric trauma and orthopaedic surgeon appointed to national clinical leadership role

A consultant paediatric trauma and orthopaedic surgeon from The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital has been appointed to lead a national programme working to improve the care of young patients and share best practice across the specialty. 

Mr Rob Freeman, who has been a consultant at RJAH since 2010, will work as a clinical lead for the NHS England Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, alongside the current clinical lead James Hunter until Mr Hunter retires later this year. 

During the handover period, they will work jointly to support providers to reduce waiting times and improve services across England for the benefit of young patients. 

Mr Freeman said: “James Hunter's GIRFT national report has undoubtedly led to an improvement in standards of care, outcomes and reduced waiting times for many patients.

“I am delighted to have been appointed to carry on the outstanding work Mr Hunter has contributed to the practice of paediatric orthopaedic surgery.” 

Mr Freeman is the clinical lead of the orthopaedic subgroup of the West Midlands operational delivery network (ODN) and a member of the specialised surgery in children Clinical Reference Group, where he has been involved in writing service specifications for specialised surgery. 

He has a special interest in gait analysis and orthopaedic surgery for neuromuscular conditions. 

From 2013-2018, he worked as the secondary board member for Walsall CCG, and he was previously the secretary of the British Society for Children’s Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS), where he served on the board for five years. 

Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT programme lead and NHS England National Director for Clinical Improvement, Elective Recovery and UEC, said: “Paediatric trauma and orthopaedics provides life-changing surgery to infants and children, with potentially transformative and lifelong benefits – as such, it is crucial to maintain our focus on the specialty, working to reduce unnecessary admissions and ensure children can be seen in a timely way. 

“I’m pleased to welcome Rob to the GIRFT programme and I'm sure his wealth of experience in the specialty will ensure we can drive forward the improvement work James Hunter has begun.”