A new “foot and ankle school” at the University Hospital of Hartlepool is helping Teesside patients understand what will happen before and after planned surgery.
The group session is offered to people who already have a date for a foot or ankle operation. Senior surgical care practitioners explain the planned procedure, the hospital stay and the practical parts of recovery, including pain relief, mobility and the restrictions patients may face when they return home.
Preparing before the operation
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust says this is the first clinic of its kind for foot and ankle surgery in Teesside. It has been developed to give patients consistent information before admission and a chance to raise questions with the team involved in their care.
Sessions cover post-operative care, likely recovery times, rehabilitation and physiotherapy. Staff also discuss whether a patient will be allowed to put weight on the operated foot, how to use walking aids and when protective footwear may be needed. Advice on preparing the home and improving general health before surgery is included too.
Those details can make a real difference to planning. A period without full weight-bearing may affect work, caring responsibilities, transport and the layout of a home. The trust’s foot and ankle service says physiotherapists assess patients after surgery, help them mobilise safely and provide walking aids where required. Most procedures are carried out as day cases at the Hartlepool hospital, although some patients need an inpatient stay.
A patient’s view
Emily Hanley, 27, from Norton, attended one of the first sessions before ankle ligament reconstruction. She has hypermobility and said the class answered concerns she had been carrying into the operation.
Hanley described the session as taking “a huge weight off my shoulders”. She said the information about the procedure and recovery made her feel prepared and reassured. Her account is a personal experience rather than about , but it illustrates why clear explanations before surgery matter to patients facing weeks of rehabilitation.
Beth Alderton, a senior surgical care practitioner in orthopaedics, helped establish the clinic. She said the aim is for patients to arrive for surgery with a clearer idea of what to expect and how to manage their recovery. Physiotherapists also attend selected sessions, adding practical guidance on movement and rehabilitation.
Who will be invited
Patients do not need to find or book the class themselves. The trust says everyone given a date for foot or ankle surgery will be contacted directly by the team with details of the session.
The NHS announcement does not give a public timetable, class frequency or attendance figures, and it is too early to judge whether the programme changes recovery times or other outcomes. For now, the practical measure is designed to reduce uncertainty and help people make the arrangements they may need before admission.
The foot and ankle service brings together surgeons, surgical care practitioners, nurses and physiotherapists. Anyone already listed for surgery should wait for direct contact from the team and use that invitation to raise questions specific to their procedure and recovery plan.