Patients are Enhancing Recovery

Hello my name is...

Gwen,

I’m the Senior Nurse for Surgery.

We know that good information and clear communication is essential for you to be involved in decisions about your care and treatment. The Hairmyres Orthopaedic Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Programme (ERAS) is for people requiring hip and knee joint replacement. The programme focuses on:

• Preparing for surgery
• Care during surgery
• Care after surgery
• Planned discharge

Your understanding and expectation of treatment outcomes, the care you will receive and your planned rehabilitation plays a big part in your recovery. It means we are able to agree a personalised treatment plan with agreed goals; you are likely to be in hospital for a shorter time, experience fewer complications and recover more quickly when returning home.

Patients selected for this programme attend a “Joint School”. The Joint School has developed and evolved over the past year as a direct result of the feedback received from our patients who have been through the programme.

Members of the healthcare team who will be involved in your treatment and care provide information and practical advice before your operation (usually an Orthopaedic Surgeon, Anaesthetist, Specialist Nurse, Ward Nurses who will be looking after you after your surgery, a Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist). Past patients may also attend to give “lived experience” advice. A lot of our patients find this personal experience invaluable.

                                          Mr Chirputkar - Orthopaedic Surgeon                                                        Explaining the operation                                     

                                    Mrs Tweddie with some of the ERAS team                                                     Sharing “lived experience"                                         

We aim to provide safe and effective care to all patients at all times. This includes making sure you are fully assessed, have been provided with, and are able to use relevant aids to carry out daily living tasks before you are discharged from hospital. We aim to get you home in three to five days, but some patients can be ready to leave by day two and some people can be in much longer. You can go home when you are ready, everyone is different!

It is also important that you feel supported once you return home. Your discharge plan will be agreed with you before you leave hospital and the specialist nurse will contact you routinely to check on your progress up to 30 days after your surgery. You should expect to attend an Outpatient appointment with your Orthopaedic Surgeon or Physiotherapy Practitioner around six to eight weeks after surgery.

If you have an experience of Hairmyres Hospital you would like to share, please speak to a member of staff, respond on Patient Opinion, or visit the “Your Feedback” Section of the NHS Lanarkshire website to see the other ways to get in touch www.nhslanarkshire.org.uk