Stamford and Rutland Hospital has expanded services during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure patients needing urgent hand surgery have not had to wait for a prolonged period.

The team in the Greenwood Day Treatment Unit has developed their orthopaedic service to include more complex elective and trauma cases in hand surgery where the patient remains awake under local anaesthetic, in addition to the service they already run.

Orthopaedic Consultant, Jonathan Jones, said: "During the peak of the pandemic most elective surgery across the Trust was stopped to ensure staff could focus on treating patients with Covid-19. However, many of our hand trauma patients experience loss of function that affect their day-to-day life so it is important they are seen in a timely manner. We worked with colleagues at Stamford and Rutland Hospital to ensure we could safely continue with surgery.

"I cannot praise the staff on the Greenwood Day Treatment Unit enough for their support and dedication. They worked tirelessly to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to provide the best care possible for patients undergoing this procedure at a time when most of the Orthopaedic Units in the country had stopped elective work."

Su Mansell, Acting Manager for Greenwood Day Treatment Unit said: "We have worked hard to continue to provide as many services as possible during the pandemic and I am very proud of the way the team has pulled together. They have been completely flexible in their ways of working and keen to learn new skills to better support patients."