Introduction

The British Orthopaedic Association is the Surgical Specialty Association for Trauma and Orthopaedics in the UK, in 1918 with twelve founding members. We now have over 5,000 members worldwide, the majority based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is a pivotal organisation within the British surgical scene, representing some 40% of the total surgical workforce.

Membership is made up of Consultants (active or retired), Staff and Associate specialist grades (SAS) and trainees. There are almost 300 overseas members.

What we do

Our vision is a vibrant, sustainable, representative orthopaedic community delivering high quality, effective care to fully informed patients. We seek to achieve this by ensuring that the Government’s Health Care reforms take full account of the need for properly resourced and accessible musculoskeletal services. This is important given the UK’s demographics and the fact that musculoskeletal disorders account for annual expenditure of some £5Bn: trauma and orthopaedic practitioners really can transform our patients’ lives.

Our purpose

We can only deliver on the vision by providing clear national leadership for the trauma and orthopaedic surgical community. That means engaging our patients, offering real value to our members and Specialist Societies, making our charitable work count – especially in the field of research. It also means that we must ensure our voice is heard at the most influential levels in Government, Whitehall, the NHS, and industry. That entails focused advocacy and the clearest possible communication of our core messages. It also entails close working with our partners in the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA).

Our mission and strategy

Our mission, therefore, is to advance for the public benefit the practice, art and science of orthopaedic surgery. To do this we have designed a strategy focused on our core objectives of excellence in professional practice, training and education, and research.