The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 38
Patients treated sooner thanks to joint working
to improve orthopaedic care
“A dedicated
orthopaedic
surgical surgical
hub at Abergele
Hospital
AA protected
protected
hub
at Abergele Hospital is now supporting
the
effortunit
tofosters
reduce
collaboration amongst surgeons, nurses,
physiotherapists and other specialists. This
multidisciplinary approach enhances patient
care and allows for a more comprehensive
treatment plan.”
is now supporting the effort to reduce
waiting times for patients waiting for hip and
knee replacements.
Extra operating lists are now taking place at
the community hospital and so far, almost
50 patients from across North Wales, some
of whom have waited over 100 weeks
for treatment, have received their joint
replacement over the last two weeks.
Mr Joshi is one of 16 surgeons from across
North Wales using the resources at the
community site to help reduce waiting lists.
Patients who undergo their operation at
Abergele Hospital must be meet a speci昀椀c
clinical criteria, more complex patients will
continue to receive their surgery at one of
the district general hospitals. However, all
patients can still choose to have their surgery
at their local district general hospital, if they
wish.
The hospital has a ring-fenced short stay
orthopaedic ward, which will continue to
operate throughout the winter months, as
well as a dedicated physiotherapy facility.
Andrea Hughes, from Wrexham, received her
partial-knee replacement surgery earlier this
month.
Mr Madhusudhan Raghavendra, Consultant
Orthopaedic Surgeon and Clinical Lead
at Glan Clwyd Hospital, said: “What we
are aiming to achieve is a highly ef昀椀cient
throughput of hip and knee replacements in
low risk patients across the Health Board for
North Wales patients.
She said: “It was during March 2020 I began
to feel the pain in my left knee and during
the lockdown stages of the pandemic I was on
a lot of medication to cope with the pain.
“It was incredibly hard to do the normal
things in life, such as even getting in the bath
or shower or getting in and out of the car.
“I’m positive that the changes we have
made will have a huge impact in reducing
the waiting times for elective orthopaedic
operations for the people of North Wales.”
“I was put on the waiting list in 2021 and I
knew at the time I’d be waiting some time.
Tracy Taylor, from Prestatyn, one of
the patients who underwent a total hip
replacement under Mr Raghavendra, has
welcomed the news more operations will be
carried out at Abergele Hospital.
“I received a phone call around a month
ago offering me the option to come to
Abergele to have my operation. I jumped at
the chance, the distance didn’t put me off
at all. I came in on the Monday and I was
home by the Tuesday, it was a very positive
experience.”
“I was really pleased to receive a call to
say I was booked in for my surgery and
it’s fantastic that Abergele Hospital has
the facilities available to carry out these
operations.
Andrea’s surgeon, Consultant Orthopaedic
Surgeon Mr Yogesh Joshi, who is based at
Wrexham Maelor Hospital, is now operating
fortnightly at Abergele Hospital.
“It’s great news that more operations are
now taking place there so people who
have been waiting a long time can be seen
quicker.”
He said: “One of the signi昀椀cant advantages
of having a standalone orthopaedic unit in
Abergele is the specialised care it provides.
Orthopeadics is a highly specialised 昀椀eld, and
having a dedicated unit ensures that patients
receive focused, expert care tailored to their
musculoskeletal needs.
38
Post COVID-19, patients are waiting longer
for treatment and the Health Board is now
working on a proposal to improve orthopaedic
care for the future.
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