Joint School hailed a success
Date of release: 17 February 2025
A support programme designed to help patients feel less anxious and more prepared for hip and knee replacement surgery has helped improve their recovery and reduced their length of stay in hospital.
The team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has created twice weekly ‘joint school’ sessions for people awaiting hip and knee replacement surgery at Cannock Chase Hospital.
Up to 28 people per week, plus a friend or relative each, get the chance to meet the team face to face and find out what they can do to prepare for their operation and how they can contribute to their recovery.
With the right support in place, many patients can even go home the same day.
Kirsty Elson, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Enhanced Recovery, said: “Joint School is based around the concept of ‘I wish I’d have known’. Everything we do and say has come from patients who have used the service before.
“The sessions are really popular, and it feels good to be able to put people’s minds at rest and support them to take control of their preparation and recovery.
“We talk them through what is going to happen from the moment they come into hospital on admission to the day they go home and beyond. We cover topics such as anaesthetic, pain relief and the rehabilitation programme.
“We also provide a practical demonstration of the exercises that they will be completing post-surgery and issue a set of crutches for them to take home. The goal is that patients are familiar with the exercises and confident using crutches ahead of their operation”.
The sessions are delivered by nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
John Jones, 66 from Hednesford, attended joint school before his knee replacement.
He said: “I found the sessions informative and helpful. They gave us tips I hadn’t thought about – even ones like how to lie after surgery to help with recovery. I found the information invaluable.”
Timothy Joules, a farmer from Newport in Shropshire, said he found his hip replacement surgery ‘faultless’.
The 56-year-old said: “The staff at Cannock have been exceptional. I found the joint school session to be very helpful – I couldn’t fault it.
“I had never had an operation before, so I was nervous before I went to the joint school session. They taught us how to use all the equipment and made me feel at ease. I think it is a great idea.”
Sarah Winter, Matron for Elective Orthopaedics and Patient Services, said: “I am so proud of what the team is doing here to provide the best care for our patients.
“When I started in orthopaedics, joint replacement patients were in hospital for up to two weeks. We are now able to perform this as a day case procedure or with a much-reduced inpatient stay with many patients discharged on day one or two post-surgery.
“Joint School is proving to be really popular, and we are hearing fantastic feedback.”
