A grandmother of three has become the first woman in the Merseyside region to receive life-changing hip replacement surgery and go home in the same day.

The new day case procedure at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) will help to reduce waiting lists for orthopaedic treatments and enable patients to recover in the comfort of their own homes, avoiding lengthy hospital stays.

In mid-January, Bernice Gay, 78, had her left hip replacement and was discharged back to her home in Speke on the same day, just eight hours after the surgery at Broadgreen Hospital. Her surgery was Bernice’s second hip replacement, after undergoing traditional surgery on her right hip in April 2021 at the same hospital. She was told about the new day case surgery by Mr Viju Peter, her consultant surgeon.

Bernice said: “I was over the moon to be able to go home on the same day. I remembered from my first hip replacement having to stay in hospital for a few days and being in a bit of pain. However, they reassured me I would be on the same pain medication as what I would receive in the hospital, and I decided I would much rather recover in my own home.”

On average, patients undergoing hip replacement surgery will spend between two and three nights in hospital post-surgery. A major positive of the day case option is that it enables them to recover in the comfort and safety of their own home, encouraging faster rehabilitation and reducing their risk of hospital acquired infections.

Having day case surgery meant that Bernice was able to get back home to her four-year-old cocker spaniel, Holly.

She added: “I knew Holly would have missed me if I was in hospital a few days – you should have seen her face when I came back home. We go on a walk twice a day. With the help of my daughter, Louise, I’ve been able to get back out for our afternoon walk. I’ve even managed a bit of housework!

“From my point of view, it’s a great way forward. I like to walk, and I just want to be able to get on with my life. Mr Peter is my hero; the first hip replacement truly changed the quality of my life and this second one will enhance it even more. I just need my knee doing now and I’ll be ready to run a marathon!”

Not all patients are suitable for a day case hip replacement, and cases are managed on an individual basis and factors including age, health and fitness, and if friends and family are able to support recovery at home needs to be taken into consideration. It is part of the comprehensive pre-operative assessment and planning necessary to ensure safe surgery can take place, followed by effective rehabilitation.

Mr Peter said: “I am really proud of this achievement. Hip replacement surgery is a major operation so discharging Bernice that same day was such a pivotal moment. The ability to carry out these procedures and discharge the patients on the same day will make a huge difference to our patients’ lives, improving their care and recovery and reducing waiting times for surgery.

“Together with my consultant anaesthetic colleague, Dr Nick Airey, we first planned on introducing this exciting development back in 2020, but unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic put it on hold. To be able to successfully implement this surgery you need a collaborative team of different healthcare professionals involved right from the beginning, and we are lucky that at Broadgreen we have an excellent theatre team, brilliant physiotherapists, pharmacists, nurses and more.”