If you've fractured your hip, a team of doctors, nurses and therapists will assess you when you come into hospital. They will review what has happened and request investigations and specialist opinions from the orthopaedic surgical team.
A multidisciplinary team will be involved in your care. This is made up of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and sometimes the Complex Discharge team. Members of the multidisciplinary team all work together for your best outcome both before and after surgery.
Senior orthopaedic consultant
This is the senior surgeon who will be responsible for your care on the days around the operation.
Orthogeriatric consultant
This is the senior medical doctor with special expertise in older patients, who will review your medical conditions during your stay.
Anaesthetic consultant
This is the senior doctor who will oversee the anaesthetic and pain relief you will need for the operation.
Junior doctors
These doctors support the senior doctors, and will review you most days during your stay.
Nursing team
The ward has a dedicated nursing team, which strives to plan and deliver high-quality care throughout your stay. The nurses will also ensure that communication is maintained at all times and, with your consent, will ensure your next of kin is updated regularly.
The nursing team is made up of registered nurses and healthcare assistants, who work as a team to ensure your needs are addressed effectively and on time.
There is always a senior nurse on duty. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to speak to the nurse in charge.
Theatre team
The theatre team helps to provide great care during the operation. The team consists of a wide range of skilled and experienced clinical staff who all have different roles, from preparing the theatre, to administering the anaesthesia, and keeping you safe during the operation and as you are transferred to recovery.
Advanced clinical practitioner (ACP)
ACPs are healthcare professionals, educated to master’s degree level or equivalent, with the skills and knowledge to allow them to expand their range of practice to meet the needs of the people they care for.
The trauma ACPs will assess and treat you on the ward and in the Emergency Department, ensure that pathways and protocols are followed and take a leading role in service and staff development.
Trauma nurse practitioner (TNP)
TNPs support the timely management and processing of trauma and orthopaedic patients admitted to our hospitals. They aim to transfer patients to a trauma ward as early as possible to help to make sure surgery happens in good time.
The TNPs' skills allow them to identify when patients need specific treatment and help them be seen urgently, if required.
Therapy team
Physiotherapists
Physiotherapists help to get you to start to move the hip as soon as possible after the operation. At first this will be through a range of non-weight-bearing exercises, progressing to weight-bearing where possible.
The aim is to get you up out of bed and transferring to a chair. From this, the physiotherapists will gradually develop the amount you can move and help to identify safe and appropriate discharge plans.
Occupational therapists
Occupational therapists will meet you following the operation and discuss how you were managing before coming in to hospital. They will ask questions about your home, such as the type of property and location of bathroom and facilities. This information will support the early stages of your rehabilitation and help staff to start to make goals for you to return home, or to transfer to another rehabilitation facility if you require a little more time and therapy input.
Dietitians
Nursing staff will complete nutritional screening during your hospital stay, and you may then be referred to a dietitian.
The dietitian would then assess your nutritional intake to ensure you are meeting your nutritional needs to support wound healing and rehabilitation after your surgery.
Last reviewed: 02 March 2023
