A big congratulations to our Orthopaedic hip team, who have successfully carried out their first hip replacement as a day case, meaning that the young person could go home the same day of their operation.
Although hip replacement is more common in older adults, some children and young people may need a hip replacement if their hip has been severely damaged by conditions such as arthritis, injury, infection, or other diseases affecting the joint. The aim is to help them move more comfortably, improve their quality of life, and enable them to take part in everyday activities when other treatments have not been effective.
For this operation, patients have traditionally stayed in hospital for several days while they recovered. Thanks to careful planning, teamwork and advances in surgical techniques, for the first time at Alder Hey we have now been able to safely perform this procedure as a day case with the young person able to return home on the very same day.
Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Chris Talbot who is the lead Consultant said “We know that for children and young people, being able to recover at home can make a real difference. It allows them to return to the comfort of familiar surroundings and get back to their everyday routines more quickly. We first developed the hip replacement service in 2019, and since then we’ve continued to learn, refine and strengthen the pathway. We’ve carefully considered every stage of the patient’s journey, from ensuring medications are ready before discharge, providing detailed pre-operative information and aftercare advice, arranging physiotherapy and counselling before surgery rather than after, and making sure families know exactly who to contact if they have any concerns once they’re home.”
“We’re incredibly proud of what the team has achieved. This simply wouldn’t be possible without a truly multidisciplinary, cross organisational approach- working with colleagues from Broadgreen, physios, occupational therapy, our anaesthetic and theatre team, ward staff, my PCO, Ann Kershaw and our hip nurse specialist, Emma, who is essentially the glue that keeps us all together and working together towards the same goal of delivering safe, high-quality care while continually improving the experience for our children, young people and their families.”
Day case surgery is only offered when it is safe and appropriate for the individual patient and will be offered for more routine hip replacements.
This achievement reflects Alder Hey’s vision and ongoing commitment to improving patient care and the experience of our children, young people and their families.
Congratulations to everyone involved in making this possible!