Bridlington Hospital patient has hip replacement and goes home later that day

Until recently, hip replacements patients faced a five-day stay in hospital to recover - now, some can go home on the same day as their operation.
Staff from Bridlington Hospital with hip replacement patient Kevan Jackson.Staff from Bridlington Hospital with hip replacement patient Kevan Jackson.
Staff from Bridlington Hospital with hip replacement patient Kevan Jackson.

Bridlington Hospital has become one of a few in the country able to provide hip replacements for selected day case patients.

The Bridlington team reached this breakthrough after advances in patient information, anaesthetics and medication over the past few years have steadily seen patients recovering more quickly and needing to spend less time in hospital.

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Mark Andrews, senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Bridlington Hospital, said: “The team here are very proud to have completed our first day surgery discharge of a hip replacement patient in Bridlington.

"A few other hospitals in the UK have started discharging selected patients on the day of surgery, and we felt that we were ready to offer that service in Bridlington.

“Over the years we’ve improved preparation and reduced the trauma of surgery by educating people in advance of their operation so they can prepare physically and psychologically. There have been changes to anaesthetics and medication that allow patients to mobilise safely within hours of surgery.

“Patients often prefer to be at home and increasingly have been asking whether they could go home on the day of surgery. We have noticed over the last few years of service improvements that some patients didn't really need to stay and so this was the logical next step.”

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The team’s first patient to have the operation and be discharged the same day was Kevan Jackson from Bridlington.

Kevan said: “It was quite an achievement to have the operation under epidural and find myself going home at the end of the day in much less pain than when I came in.

"The staff were fantastic and turned something that was quite a challenge for me into a positive experience. I really appreciate everything they have done.”

Mr Andrews is keen to stress that same day surgery and discharge is not suitable for all patients.

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“Younger, fit patients with carers at home who live near to the hospital will be the first to be offered the opportunity to go home on the day of surgery if they feel well enough in the afternoon,” he said.

Bridlington Hospital’s specialist unit provides planned orthopaedic surgery for patients right across the East coast.