Gloucestershire Arthritis Trust (GAT) is part of the “Arthritis Revolution” in Cheltenham.
Welcome to the “Arthritis Revolution” that is happening in patient care at Cheltenham General Hospital. The revolutionary approach is aimed at getting between 800 and 1,000 patients a year home much quicker after hip or knee replacement surgery.
Challenged by NHS England in mid-2023 to reduce the Length of Stay for knee and hip replacement surgery from an average of more than 100 hours to a new target of 65 hours, a multidisciplinary team from 13 medical disciplines managed to achieve an average, for all patients, of just 31 hours. Reducing average hospital stays by almost 70 hours.
Over 100 patients, with an average age of 71, were selected as suitable for the 6-month Enhanced Recovery pilot. During which 21 patients went home on the same day as their surgery. Patients coming in at 7.30am and going home later that afternoon or evening is a true “arthritis revolution” setting a new benchmark for arthritis patients anywhere in the UK.
Developing this Enhanced Recovery pilot needed expert staff all working on the same challenge. Improved patient education, using a special spinal anaesthetic, better post operation painkillers, improved nutrition& hydration, prompt access to physiotherapy and Nurse Practitioner supported discharge were all thought to be major factors.
GAT’s NHS Trustees Surgeon Rob Gleeson and Clinical Lead Physiotherapist Annabel Pillai were just two of the architects of the Enhanced Recovery pilot while GAT’s “wheeled walkers” and individual footstools contribute to the task of increasing patient mobility. GAT is also piloting the supply of high energy snacks as part of the future improved nutrition element.
Officially known as “Cheltenham Orthopaedic Ambulatory Pathway” this Enhanced Recovery method has now been approved for future hip or knee replacement surgery, as long as the patient has been fully assessed. Find out more about GAT’s work and the Arthritis Revolution here: glosarthritistrust.org.