Looking Back Over 2024
As we come to the end of the year, we always like to say thank you to our patients who have allowed us to share their treatment journey over the last 12 months and for whom, we hope, there have been great improvements in quality of life.
Certificate of Excellence
If you are one of the many, many patients who have left us 5-star reviews on the independent patient review site Iwantgreatcare.org, again, thank you. Your ratings have enabled us to retain our Certificate of Excellence and we are extremely proud of that and appreciative of your kind words.
If you haven’t yet checked out the site, we encourage you to do so. Iwantgreatcare was founded in 2008 to give patients a platform to review the care they receive. Today, it is the world’s leading independent platform for measuring patient experience and outcomes, with over six million healthcare reviews across 28 countries. Andrew Carrothers reads all your feedback, so do keep on leaving us your ratings and your comments, we really appreciate it.
Culmination of a 10-year journey
Another major achievement for us this year was the publication of our randomised controlled study into acetabular fractures in older patients, led by Andrew Carrothers. Published in the peer-reviewed journal The Bone and Joint Journal, in April 2024 ‘Acetabular Fractures in older patients Intervention Trial (AceFIT): a feasibility triple-arm randomised controlled study’ is the culmination of almost 10 years’ work. It is a great accolade for those patients who enrolled in the trial, as well as for my fellow UK pelvic & acetabular surgeons and the hospital sites who participated. Without all their support and participation the trial would not have been so successful. You can read the paper here.
The team involved in the study gave a presentation to the British Hip Society Annual Congress in February 2024 in Belfast. It was entitled ‘Acetabular Fractures in Older Patients Intervention Trial (AceFIT): A Feasibility Triple-Arm Randomised Controlled Trial’ and on the platform was Mr Alexander Martin, Cambridge Addenbrookes Pelvic Fellow. The presentation was well received with lots of questions regarding the now planned definitive RCT.
Following AceFIT, the steering committee that Andrew Carrothers sits on is developing the definitive international randomised controlled trial, AceFIT2. We are looking forward to the trial getting underway soon.
Mako joint replacement surgeries pass 850
We are proud that the number of Mako hip, total knee and partial knee replacements carried out by Andrew Carrothers has, this year, passed the 850 mark. This is a great achievement and we look forward to many more of these ground-breaking surgical procedures.
A message to our patients
If you recently underwent surgery, we hope you are making a good recovery and managing to follow your rehabilitation programme without any problems – it will support you to get back to the things you love sooner so do persist if you can. Remember, Christmas can be a stressful time, as well as being a lot of fun, so prioritise your self-care and pay attention to simple things like eating a balanced diet, doing some gentle exercise and getting enough sleep.
Of course, some of you are still waiting for surgery so it is even more important for you to look after your wellbeing during the colder winter months when your symptoms can become exacerbated. Stay warm if you can and make sure you wear the right footwear when you go outside to prevent falls. You might want to take a look at our blog Top Festive Tips for People with Arthritis which contains some useful guidance on staying well over the holiday season.
