The work of NHS staff who have helped 615 people from across Devon to get back on their feet after hip and knee surgery has been recognised at the prestigious HSJ awards.

The South West Ambulatory Orthopaedic Centre (SWAOC), based at NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter, was highly commended in the acute sector innovation of the year award category for its innovative work to support people needing orthopaedic care.

Last month, the SWAOC team also won an award at the National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) Excellence in Orthopaedics Awards in the Partnerships and Integration Initiative category, and were highly commended at the National patient Safety Award in the Safe Restoration of Elective Care Category.

Since opening earlier this year, 615 people who have been waiting for hip and knee replacements have been able to have their surgery at the state-of-the-art facility, transforming lives and enabling many to return to the things they love.

Pat, from Teignmouth, received a hip replacement from the Nightingale earlier this year. He said: “The operation itself has immediately improved my wellbeing. It’s given me the opportunity to begin to do those things that for the last three years or more I’ve been doing less and less of, or even none. Boating, fishing, running, playing with my two young grandchildren. I’m beginning to have more of an active family life, which I think is so important. This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the Nightingale, so I thank the team very much for that.”

Dr Mary Stocker, a consultant anaesthetist at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and Joint Clinical Lead for SWAOC, said: “I am so proud that our collaborative work across Devon has been recognised by the HSJ. There are many members of the multi-disciplinary team at SWAOC who have been part of developing and delivering the exemplary pathways which have been recognised by this award. 

“We work hard to make a difference to people’s lives, and our ability to offer same-day surgery to the majority of our patients means they don’t need to be admitted overnight and can recover at home, in their own bed, on the same day, which has enormous benefits to their recovery.

“SWAOC is the best of its kind for day case rates in the UK and we are so proud to work at such a revolutionary centre for elective orthopaedic surgery.”

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Liz Davenport said: “Congratulations to everyone who is supporting the SWAOC. I am thrilled that their hard work, passion and commitment to improve our services and ensure people’s experiences of health care is good has been recognised by the HSJ. We are so proud and grateful for everything they do.”

Chris Tidman, deputy chief executive officer at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “The NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter is a fantastic resource for Devon and the wider South West, and is pivotal in helping us to reduce the time that patients wait for diagnosis and planned treatments. We are delighted that the legacy of the Nightingale continues and that the great work being done by staff from across the whole of Devon is being recognised through these awards.”

John Finn, NHS Devon’s director urgent and elective care, added: “I am very pleased that the excellent care provided by staff at NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter continues to be recognised nationally, as well as the contribution it is making to reducing the time people across Devon wait for tests and treatment.”

The HSJ Patient Safety Awards help to drive improvements in culture and quality across the NHS. They recognise and reward the hard-working teams and individuals who strive to deliver improved patient care.

The NOA awards recognise organisations, projects and teams that have distinguished themselves through exemplary contributions, influence, and commitment to transforming services across orthopaedics.