Our hand surgery team are celebrating the success of a three year partnership with local GPs.
The community hand surgery service has allowed almost 1,500 patients to have smaller procedures at GP practices in Whitstable and Faversham, cutting waiting times from one year to less than eight weeks.
It also means waiting times for more complicated procedures have been reduced, as hospital theatre time is not taken up with smaller surgeries.
Consultant orthopaedic and hand surgeon Mr Chris James said: “This has been huge improvement for our hand surgery department, and the patient satisfaction has been outstanding.
“This initiative we created exemplifies the power of collaboration with primary care. It has effectively reduced patient contact points, reduced the waiting time for surgery and directly enhanced patient outcomes.
“While similar models exist in East Kent for ophthalmology and other sub-specialties, this is the first time it has been implemented within orthopaedics.
“We believe it should serve as a model for the future. By transferring small procedures from the main theatre lists to primary care, we’ve been able to provide quicker treatment for these patients and allow more complex cases to receive timely surgery at the elective orthopaedic centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital and orthopaedic theatres across the Trust.”
Patient feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the improvements in care, service quality, and surgical outcomes. Typical procedures that can be carried out in the community include trigger finger release, carpal tunnel release and ganglion surgery.
One patient said: “The whole procedure from GP appointment to surgical procedure was faultless. I was very impressed with the medical centre, so clean and efficient.”
Another added: “Such a smooth and professional appointment and procedure, I couldn’t rate this highly enough.”
Our four dedicated consultant hand surgeons, Chris, Mr Andrew Smith, Mr Jeremy Stanton, and Mr Mark Williamson, have been key to the project’s success, delivering a highquality, consultant-led service to our local communities.
The team thanked Dr Gupta from Faversham Medical Practice, Dr Ribchester from Estuary View Medical Centre in Whitstable as well as the East Kent Hospitals’ orthopaedic management team for their invaluable contributions, which helped the service thrive.
Chris added: “Thank you for your continued support as we strive to provide exceptional care for our patients!”