Background

Greater Manchester Orthopaedic Alliance (GMOA) was created to address significant elective orthopaedic backlogs across the region following COVID-19. Bringing together multiple NHS trusts, the Alliance sought to reduce waiting lists, increase surgical throughput and improve patient flow across hip and knee pathways. However, variation in pre-operative processes, data visibility and discharge planning limited the ability to scale performance consistently across sites.

The challenge was not simply increasing capacity but coordinating care across a regional network while maintaining quality and outcomes.

“Everyone within the Greater Manchester Orthopaedic Alliance is delighted our implementation of the myrecovery app has been recognised at the Excellence In Orthopaedics Awards. This smart, interactive use of technology gives our patients timely information about their condition, as they progress through their pathway and recovery. We hope many more thousands of patients across the region will benefit from this technology in the future.“

Professor David Johnson
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Chair of GMOA
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Approach

Through a unified digital MSK pathway powered by hopper Patient Management and myrecovery, GMOA standardized pre-operative assessment, patient engagement and post-operative recovery tracking across participating trusts. Waiting list validation tools ensured patients were appropriately triaged and clinically optimized prior to surgery. Digital education modules prepared patients for surgery, while real-time dashboards provided system leaders with performance visibility across sites.

Standardized same-day discharge protocols and length-of-stay optimization pathways were implemented, aligning clinicians and operational teams under one coordinated regional framework.

Outcomes

The Alliance delivered measurable improvements in both operational performance and patient outcomes:

• Reduced inpatient length of stay across hip and knee pathways
• Accelerated elective recovery following pandemic backlog
• Improved coordination across multiple NHS trusts
• Increased surgical throughput without compromising quality
• Enhanced patient engagement and pathway transparency

By aligning trusts around standardized pathways and shared performance data, Greater Manchester Orthopaedic Alliance demonstrated how regional collaboration - supported by intelligent digital infrastructure - can unlock capacity, reduce system strain and improve musculoskeletal care at scale.