Knee replacement patient hails ‘excellent’ Link to Wellbeing’ pre-surgery initiative

The ‘Link to Wellbeing’ programme was awarded the Elective Care Recognition Award and commended by the Minister of Health, Mike Nesbitt, for its efforts to improve delivery of elective care services in Northern Ireland.

It is the first of its kind in the North for patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery. The eight week programme focusses on movement and mobility; nutrition and healthy eating; pain and condition management and mental and emotional wellbeing.

Speaking about the Link to Wellbeing Programme, Seamus Ward, Head of Health Improvement, Equality and Involvement with the Western Trust said: “We worked very closely with our Trauma and Orthopaedics colleagues to deliver a highly engaging and meaningful programme for their patients awaiting surgery.

"Ultimately, the goal was to improve their health pre-surgery to ensure their operations went well and recovery was more successful in the long-term.”

“The Link to Wellbeing programme was open to recently referred patients, as well as those who have been on the waiting list for some time and who were preparing for their imminent surgery. It was open to adults of all ages, although most participants were aged over 60 years.”

Sandra Dougherty, a participant on the programme, described Link to Wellbeing as ‘excellent.’: “I was six years on the waiting list for a partial knee replacement. I was invited to go along to a local community centre for eight weeks as part of the programme.

"It was excellent with the advice we got on movement, healthy eating, and a whole range of different things. Since then, I was called for my operation and had sessions of physio post-surgery.

“Those eight week sessions were very positive – connecting with other people, waiting for their own operation, chatting and getting support from each other. We’ve made friends and kept those friendships going.”

Cathy Glass, Nursing Services Manager -Trauma & Orthopaedics, for the Western Trust, said: “Musculoskeletal disease is one of the biggest contributors to global disability. An aging population also puts an unprecedented demand on health services globally.

"The Covid-19 pandemic further disrupted surgical pathways, attributing to longer waiting times for patients due to undergo routine elective procedures.

"Long waits can cause mental and physical deconditioning in patients, negatively impacting their surgical outcomes. Engaging and supporting patients waiting on surgery, through prehabilitation programmes such as Link to Wellbeing, significantly improves their outcomes and the recovery process.”

Seamus added: “In total we held 29 programmes which were delivered by our community and voluntary partners, benefiting over 290 patients on the hip or knee surgery waiting lists.

“Such programmes are vital, not only has Link to Wellbeing contributed to improving the general health and wellbeing of the participants, it has also facilitated new friendships and connections, and reduced social isolation for all involved.”

The Link to Wellbeing programme was established from a pilot that was funded by NHS Charities Together and managed by the Trust’s Health Improvement, Equality and Involvement Department. Current DoH funding has enabled the programme to continue