With increased precision during surgery and shorter recovery times for patients, awareness of robotic-assisted surgery is growing in Gloucestershire – and Nuffield Health Cheltenham Hospital is the county's only private hospital to offer the pioneering treatment.
The surgery is transforming the lives of local people, like retired paediatric nurse, Jocelyn Brodrick, who recently opted to have a robotic-assisted total knee replacement at Nuffield Health Cheltenham Hospital.
Despite having one knee replaced through the NHS and staying active in her retirement through volunteering at a local primary school, gardening, walking with her dog, photography and caring for her four grandchildren, Jocelyn had been experiencing pain and deterioration in her left knee for years.
Her knee pain, along with lumbar spinal stenosis, began to limit her independence – and after trying everything from physiotherapy to reformer Pilates, she made the decision to seek knee replacement surgery.
With her previous NHS surgery having been carried out by orthopaedic surgeon, Alexander Dodds, she sought him out – and decided to undertake the procedure privately at Nuffield, to benefit from his experience in robotic-assisted knee replacement.
Jocelyn said: 'What drew me to the robot was how I kept reading about the
precision of the surgery and how the recovery was quicker, which made my
decision easy. I was also very pleasantly surprised that as a self-funding
patient, the price difference between the robot and a standard knee wasn’t
much.'
'I had the best general anaesthetic I’ve ever experienced. The care was outstanding and the nurses were great. I had physios come and see me on the ward that night and I was straight up walking on my knee replacement.'
As part of Jocelyn's rehabilitation, she also had physiotherapy at Nuffield Health Cheltenham Hospital included within the price of her knee replacement package.
She continued: 'I’ve still been walking with a stick at six weeks post-op, but Huw (Jocelyn's physiotherapist) has reassured me that my progression is going in the right direction and I’ll have the confidence to walk without a stick before I know it. I’m doing all of my exercises and I feel stronger and in less pain every day.
'It’s hard to compare the surgery to the first knee I had replaced on the NHS, but the recovery definitely felt quicker and less painful than last time. I’m getting better by the day and I’m even back to a bit of pruning in the garden.
'I still can’t kneel yet but that will come in time. The biggest relief is that I’m back driving, which has just given me my freedom back.
'I would have no hesitation at
all in recommending the Nuffield Health Cheltenham Hospital, even down to the
car park! It just makes the experience easier.'
The guide price for knee replacement surgery at Nuffield Health Hospital Cheltenham is £17,695, but prices vary depending on each patient's individual needs and treatment package – with prices quoted being all inclusive with no hidden costs.
To book an appointment to see an orthopaedic knee consultant at Nuffield Health Cheltenham Hospital, visit nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/cheltenham, or call 01242 246574.
