Our work programme for 2009/10

Due for release: 25 March 2010 for the Auditor General

Summary: Orthopaedics is a large and complex specialty with a high volume of inpatients, outpatients and day cases. National Health Service (NHS) boards’ total expenditure on the orthopaedics specialty in 2008/09 was around £373 million, the third highest cost specialty. The study looked at how effectively the NHS in Scotland manages orthopaedic services, how much is spent and whether this represents value for money. It also assessed whether there is scope to improve the efficiency of orthopaedic services, by comparing activity across Scotland and identifying areas of good practice.