posted 13 ^th Feb 2020

Sometimes big things start with a single step, or in this case, a broken bone.

Back in 2018, one single inhabitant of the Falkland Islands travelled to Wrightington Hospital in need of specialist orthopaedic treatment to fix their broken collar bone.  

This one case highlighted the need for high quality orthopaedic care for the island population and resulted in Mr Amol Chitre, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Wrightington, flying out to the Falklands to meet and consult with the island’s patients.  

Following this landmark meeting, Wrightington Hospital’s Medical Director for Specialist Services, Mr Sumedh Talwalkar, carried out a number of upper limb procedures on the islands and so began an ongoing arrangement, with Wrightington’s specialist surgeons making regular visits to treat Falkland islanders in need of orthopaedic care.

Now, every six months surgeons with specialisms in upper limbs alternate the trip with specialists in lower limbs, to cover the island’s wide breadth of orthopaedic needs, whilst more complicated cases are referred to Wrightington Hospital itself for treatment.

Mark Almond, one of Wrightington Hospital’s Directorate Managers, says of this unique relationship with the island:

“Wrightington Hospital has a really close working relationship with colleagues and patients all across the Falkland Islands. As time has gone on, it’s pretty true to say that everybody will know of someone who has been to Wrightington, because of our work, which is quite something.”

Bob Short, 57, a sheep farmer from the island, flew 8,050-miles to the UK after fracturing his tibia and ankle in a fall.

Bob says:

“For my benefit I preferred to come to the UK in case it was a long time stay. Obviously, it was quite a long trip, 26 hours from the hospital in Port Stanley to the UK.

Falkland residents know Wrightington Hospital is a renowned orthopaedic hospital and has friendly links with the islands. My time at Wrightington Hospital has been top class. I can't see the Falklands being in partnership with a far better hospital to be honest.”

It’s not only the hospital’s technical expertise in orthopaedics that is shaping patient and commissioner’s decisions to ‘choose Wrightington.’ Factors such as its impressive record in waiting times for surgery are also influencing their choice, with Wrightington patients undergoing surgery far quicker than in other parts of the mainland.

As Mark Almond says of Wrightington’s strong pedigree:

“Patients are travelling a long way to Wrightington Hospital because of the excellence we demonstrate in orthopaedics. Both locally and further afield within the UK, that can only be a good thing. We’re very proud that so many people are choosing Wrightington. To have a hospital in your region that is world class is really fantastic, somewhere that you can access so easily should you need our services.”

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