Orthopaedic joint replacement surgery resumes at Shropshire hospital
The trust that runs the county's major hospitals is hoping that waiting times for operations will be reduced after orthopaedic joint replacement surgery has resumed at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
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Planned joint replacement surgery at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) - that runs the Princess Royal (PRH) and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital - restarted in phases with hip replacement operations first, followed by knee replacement surgery.
It comes after elective surgery for joint replacements was paused in December last year due to estates issues on the recovery ward.
The first patient, Gloria Malpass-Leek, had a hip replacement operation, and was back walking on the same day.
Additionally, the orthopaedic team has also introduced a new enhanced recovery pathway. Using new surgical and anaesthetic techniques, patients are being able to walk within hours of surgery and return home sooner.
Since re-opening, SaTH said that several patients have been discharged on the day after their surgery. Previously, most patients stayed an average of four days, according to the trust who said this helps patients to "regain their independence sooner, reducing the risk of infections and increasing the number of operations".
Chief Operating Officer at SaTH, Ned Hobbs said: "It is wonderful news for our patients and the Trust that planned orthopaedic surgery has resumed at the Princess Royal Hospital. I would like to thank our patients for their support and understanding during this time and to the many teams across the Trust who have worked so tirelessly to get the service back up and running.
"An extensive amount of work has had to take place with a complex set of ward moves to provide a suitable environment for patients having elective orthopaedic procedures to recover following surgery."
