Joint replacement ward carries out its 100th op
A WARD set up at the PEH to deal specifically with patients requiring joint replacements has seen its 100th operation carried out in less than three months.
De Havilland Ward opened on 10 October and provides nine beds that are solely for elective orthopaedic operations.
Previously, elective patients were treated on De Sausmarez Ward, which also dealt with trauma patients and led to challenges in having to keep both sets of patients apart to reduce the risk of infection.
Having a stand-alone ward for elective surgery has made a lot of difference, said deputy ward sister Zara Le Page.
‘We used to do the best we could but we needed a dedicated space,’ she said.
She was heavily involved in setting up the facility, which used to be part of the area of Le Marchant Ward, and said that as well as the new unit, a multi-disciplinary team was set up to provide a pre-assessment clinic for patients.
She was pleased with how the ward had helped.
‘Before we opened de Havilland Ward it wasn’t certain if patients’ surgery would go ahead because of the capacity of the hospital but de Havilland beds are ring-fenced and nobody else can touch them.’
Medical director Dr Peter Rabey said that seeing 100 patients in such as short space of time was a ‘remarkable achievement’.
The majority of patients come for knee or hip replacements, but there have also been a handful requiring new shoulders.
Ted Bartie was the ward’s 100th patient and had gone in for the second of two knee replacements.
Mr Bartie, 80, had his first new knee in August as a patient on De Sausmarez Ward, and said he liked the new ward.
‘This is so much better than where I was before. It’s more dedicated and more modern.’
He had been waiting about two years before his first operation, during which time he had struggled to walk very far and so had not been able to enjoy any holidays.
But that was going to change after his second knee was done.
‘I’m looking forward to booking holidays again,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a cruise booked in July and we’re hoping to go to France at the end of June and who knows after that.’
He hoped to not have to spend more than two nights on the ward. Mrs Le Page said that the average length of stay for joint surgery was now just two days, compared to between six and seven previously, allowing more patients to be treated.
n Health & Social Care said that as of yesterday there were 786 patients waiting for orthopaedic surgery out of a total of 2,375 on its waiting list for operations.
