Latest News

18th November 2010

Tae Kwon Do champion is proof that Broomfield is best in the UK for hips

A former patient is living proof that the surgeons at Broomfield Hospital are the best at hip surgery in the country.

48 year old James McKenna, who now lives in Derbyshire, underwent hip resurfacing in May 2009 performed by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Mr Andy Macdowell.  Since the operation James, who runs the Chelmsford Tae Kwon Do club, has gone on not only to continue to teach Tae Kwon Do but to compete at world championship level, coming second in the final after fighting off some stiff competition.

James said:” Before I had the operation I had been suffering from hip pain for about 10 years.  I went to a number of hospitals, but no one could do anything for me.  It was affecting my life as I was struggling to train which proved very difficult as I have been practicing Tae Kwon Do for 26 years and it was my bread and butter.

“I then had an appointment with Mr Macdowell and in May 2009 had the hip resurfacing.  I was in hospital for three days and then returned to the club whilst I was on crutches.  The operation gave me a new lease of life and I am very grateful for that.  I know that this procedure might not last for ever so I am being very careful and don’t go crazy with my training.”

According to new data from the Department of Health patients who have hip replacements at Broomfield Hospital have the best outcomes in the country.

The data comes from PROMS (Patient related outcome measures) questionnaires that are completed by the patient before and after surgery. This provides a patient’s rating of their own health in response to five key questions.   The idea is fairly straightforward – ask patients to describe their health and how they feel before and after an operation, then again some months later and look at the difference

Mr. Macdowell said: "I think it reflects the whole team effort," he says. "We have internationally trained surgeons here, first-class anesthetists, wards that are very good at preventing hospital infections, good pre-operative education and good follow-up in the community."

The first data, which came out in September, provided information on more than 14,000 patients who had a hip replacement at more than 200 English NHS hospitals.

Graham Ramsay, chief executive of mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, said:     ” This is great news that our patients have rated our hip replacement service as the best in the country.  This is all due to the skill of our three hip surgeons and the professional team that support them

“What makes this even better is the fact that this isn’t a measure patients’ experience of their care or their satisfaction with it; but a measure of the outcomes in terms of patients’ own assessments of their pain, mobility, mental state and ability to function normally. This means that our patients are noticing the biggest improvement of all hip patients in the country.”

The trust has three specialist hip surgeons; Mr Charnly, Mr Macdowell and Mr Martin and all hip replacement operations are carried out in an ultra clean lamina flow operating theatre.  The patients are then cared for on the MRSA free ward E3.4, formerly B26, where they are screened for MRSA on admission with only those who test negative being admitted to the ward and other being treated on the trauma ward.

ENDS

Media contacts : Jo Triggs tel: (01245) 514235 | Mobile : 0790 005 4948

Out of Hours Media Calls : 0790 005 4948