Patients the winners as hospital programme smashes major milestone
Posted: 10 Jun 2025
Clinicians at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital are celebrating after discharging their 1,000th and 1,001st patients on the same day as receiving a new knee or hip.
Phil Holdcroft, 45, from Bulkeley, near Chester, was the landmark patient when he received a new hip from Professor Geraint Thomas. The following day Anne Long, 72, from Crewe, became the 1,001st patient to go home on the same day as surgery after receiving a new knee from Mr Niall Graham.
Both Phil and Anne were seen under the care of the Oswestry-based hospital’s Enhanced Recovery Programme, which is a modern, surgically-led, evidence-based approach that helps patients undergoing surgery get back to health as soon as possible following their operation. It ensures that a patient's health is optimised prior to surgery, improved pain management is introduced during their hospital stay, and that post-operative mobilisation is achieved earlier.
The programme was only launched in April 2023, so the team are pleased to have hit this major milestone in a little over two years – and the latest patients to benefit are also delighted by their progress.
Phil, a former RAF pilot who now runs his own motivational speaking and coaching company, The High Performance Journey, said: “I absolutely support the science and the intent behind this enhanced recovery programme.
“I am really invested in the best possible outcome. I’ve always been an active person, so the hardest thing for me is being patient, but I’ll be following the physio to the ‘T’ and try to resist doing too much too soon.
“I’ve previously rowed across the Atlantic for charity, and I’ve run and won a 100-mile marathon,” added the father of two. “Now I want to row the Pacific in two years. That had seemed an impossible dream because of the pain in my hip, but now – thanks to Professor Thomas and the team here – I will be doing all I can to make that happen.”
Anne is also hoping surgery can help her return to past passions, and plans to reignite her love of horses.
“I was quite active all my life, but haven’t been able to for the last year because my knee has been so bad,” she said. “I’d been working with horses as a groomer but I’d become a bit of a liability. Now I want to get back to it. I don’t want to give up yet.”
Speaking about her surgery, she said: “I wanted to go home on the same day – I’m not one for lying in bed! The staff were excellent and everyone was very helpful. I had a lot of faith in Mr Graham and the team.”
The Enhanced Recovery Programme has been championed from the start by Prof Thomas and Mr Graham, so it was fitting that they should be the surgeons to perform the 1,000th and 1.001st ‘day zero’ procedures – ie operations where the patient returns home without requiring an overnight hospital stay.
Prof Thomas said: “Enhanced recovery is an evidence-based programme which is being used nationwide in various types of surgery, including hip and knee replacement surgery. It is something that we have fully embraced here at RJAH, and we are seeing the results.
“Discharging patients on the day of surgery is not the aim of the programme, but is becoming an increasingly common by-product of the strategies that we are putting in place.
“I was delighted to carry out the 1,000th day zero procedure under our Enhanced Recovery Programme, and I look forward to seeing Phil achieve his future goals.”
Mr Graham said: “I was delighted that we were able to get the Enhanced Recovery Programme up and running a couple of years ago, and to see it continuing to grow with more and more of my colleagues getting involved.
“Improved pain management strategies at the time of surgery and during a patient’s recovery ensures that they can fully-participate in their rehabilitation to achieve the best outcome.
“Anne was a great example of that, and I am sure that her new knee will soon have her back out with her horses living the life she wants.”
Rebecca Warren the Enhanced Recovery Team Lead, added: “I am proud of both Phil and Anne. They really have engaged in Enhanced Recovery and can see the benefits it brings to all patients.
“It’s never been about day zero – it’s always been about providing a pathway of care that is efficient and effective to all our patients, but also about always being available to support our patients once discharged.”
The Enhanced Recovery Team has demonstrated that the Enhanced Recovery Pathway protocol is both safe and highly effective, achieving a reduction in length of stay (LOS) by over 80%.
More than 20% of patients on the pathway are discharged on the same day (Day 0), and over 90% are discharged within 24 hours. This significant decrease in LOS is associated with improved patient outcomes, including reductions in mortality, morbidity, and infection rates.
Furthermore, patients report a better overall experience, particularly after discharge, thanks to a dedicated support team who provide ongoing care and guidance in the community.
Pictured:
Left: Patient Phil Holdcroft is pictured up on his feet with his consultant Prof Geraint Thomas, alongside members of the multi-disciplinary team who provided his care, just hours after undergoing hip replacement surgery.
Right: Patient Anne Long is pictured up on her feet with her consultant Mr Niall Graham, alongside members of the multi-disciplinary team who provided her care, just hours after undergoing knee replacement surgery.