Connected healthcare helps Jill get back on her bike after 15 years

The care started with her first meeting with Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Simon Coleridge, and continued through surgery and nursing. Participation in Nuffield Health’s Recovery Plus programme, which brings together a range of connected healthcare services from across Nuffield Health’s hospitals and fitness and wellbeing centres, ensured Jill had the support she needed to get well and stay healthy after her knee replacement surgery.

Waiting list

Having suffered agonising knee pain for almost 15 years, Jill had asked her GP about the possibilities of surgery through the NHS. She was told to expect a 48-week wait, and maybe even longer.

“The pain was so bad, I couldn’t sleep,” recalls Jill. “I wanted something done about it as soon as possible, so I could get back to cycling and walking. Nuffield Health Plymouth Hospital has a great reputation locally and I have private health insurance, so I made an appointment to see Simon Coleridge, who had previously operated on my son.”

Mr Coleridge explained to Jill the implications of the proposed surgery, and warned there was no guarantee she would ever have enough flexibility in her knee to get back on her bike. Nevertheless, she decided to go ahead and, six weeks before the operation, attended the Nuffield Health Joint School, where she learnt what would happen before, during and after her procedure.

“By the time I went in for surgery, I was very well informed,” she says.

Up, up and away

Much to Jill’s delight, she was up and walking within 24-hours of the operation. A week later, under her Recovery Plus plan, Jill started a four-month programme with a Nuffield Health physiotherapist, alongside a three-month personal training programme, under the guidance of a Nuffield Health personal trainer.

“It’s been a long road to recovery,” says Jill. “But with the care provided by Nuffield Health, and the effort I’ve put in, I’m now doing everything I was before, and I’m pain free.”

Determination

Despite Mr Coleridge’s warning that she might not be able to get back on her bike, Jill is now doing four spin classes a week, demonstrating her determination to regain previous fitness levels. And another plus is her ability to kneel down, which – according to NHS data – is only achieved by six in every 1,000-replacement knee patients.

“I chose Nuffield Health because it was quick to book a consultation. I could choose my consultant and physiotherapist; decide when to have the operation; and have three-months of bespoke personal training to help me recover,” says Jill. “It all gave me an element of control at a very difficult time. I can’t thank Nuffield Health enough. Their wrap-around care really is outstanding.”

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To read more:
Plymouth Herald (December 2019)

Last updated Thursday 21 July 2022

First published on Tuesday 19 July 2022