What a difference a day makes

Practice Plus Group surgeons are leading the way in sameday joint replacements, helping patients get home sooner and speeding up recovery.

Practice Plus Group hospitals are pioneering same-day hip and knee surgery, where eligible patients can go home within hours of their operation and reap the benefits of being at home.

Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford, for example, is the first hospital to establish high volumes of same-day hip and knee operations in London, and offers the same option to both NHS and private patients.

Development of the fast track pathway has reduced the length of stay for all patients to less than two days, freeing up 600 hospital days, or around 30% more beds.

Mr Nurul Ahad, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, says: “A decade ago, those having hip or knee replacements required a four or five-night hospital stay, but thanks to advances in anaesthesia and technology, one in five patients can now go home the same day if they choose to. There are numerous benefits for the patient.

“Our research has shown they manage pain better, become more mobile more quickly, therefore reducing the risk of DVT, and they are more comfortable being in their own beds.”

Mr Ahad continues: “Waiting in pain for the life-changing surgery you need is debilitating and we want to help as many people as possible, as soon as possible. Same day operations help us to do this by freeing up space and improving patient outcomes. since completed almost 600 cases.

Mr Lovasz and Dr La Malfa recently had research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, on the outcome and safety of day case joint surgery.

Patient perspective

“While there are certain criteria a patient needs to meet, for example not living too far away and having someone at home, we certainly don’t just cherry-pick the younger, fitter patients; I firmly believe we should be more inclusive and that there are benefits to same day surgery for most patients.”

Practice Plus Group first started establishing itself as a leader in same-day joint surgery in 2018, when Barlborough duo Mr Gyorgy Lovasz, Clinical Director of Orthopaedics, and Dr Marco La Malfa, Medical Director, visited hospitals in America where there are large purpose-built centres that focus entirely on day case joint surgeries.

Following their fact-finding trip, Barlborough became the first hospital in the East Midlands to offer the option to patients and they have

Mr Lovasz said: “In addition to low readmission and complication rates, day cases were associated with very high satisfaction rates (98% of patients were satisfied), showing that day case arthroplasty is a feasible, safe and highly satisfactory option for suitable patients.”

In the most recent National Joint Registry (NJR) data, which monitors and reports on performance outcomes in joint replacement surgery, all of our hospitals showed excellent outcomes.

Similarly in the most recent Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) data from NHS England, our Plymouth hospital scores in the top 5% nationally for total hip replacement, and Shepton Mallet in the top 5% for knee replacements.

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Teresa Lee is back up and on her feet after her knee replacement at Practice Plus Group Hospital Ilford recently. Teresa was admitted at 7am and was back home by 8pm.

She said: “The staff and doctors were really nice and I felt I was listened to. My doctor asked me if I would like to try and get home later on the same day and this sounded good to me. My husband and daughter were at home and able to help, and for me I preferred to be there.

Even though I had been knocked out for the operation I felt well enough to leave. I was given information on exercises and I have a physio appointment too and I felt looked after. I would say to anyone given the option that they should see how they feel, as for me I did prefer to be at home.”