An orthopaedic surgeon at Macclesfield Hospital reached a milestone last week by successfully completing the hospital's first ever total hip replacement day case.

The patient was operated on by surgeon Mr Keith Barnes at 09.00 and was ready to go home at 14.00.

The East Cheshire NHS Trust said this was a "fantastic achievement for the highly-motivated patient and for all the team involved in his care".

The hospital's orthopaedic ward has recently undergone changes to enable elective orthopaedic joint replacement patients be nursed separately from trauma patients.

This elective pathway provides the lowest risk of contracting COVID-19 or other infections and is in line with both government and British Orthopaedic Association guidelines.

Selena King, Senior Sister on orthopaedic Ward 10 said: "Since our first day of operating on the newly configured ward, 50% of patients have been discharged at 48 hours post–operatively and up until last week, 50% have been discharged within 48 hours.

"The Orthopaedic Rapid Recovery team has been in place now for several years and has managed to significantly reduce the length of stay for joint replacement patients with a multi-disciplinary approach and commitment from the patient but a total hip replacement as a day case is testament to how well the service works despite the restrictions placed on the team by the pandemic."