The De Havilland Unit opened on 10 October 2022 to tackle the big backlog of islanders waiting for hip and knee replacements.

In the 12 weeks since it opened, the new 9-bed orthopaedic ward at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital has performed 100 joint replacements.

Waiting times have been at record highs, exacerbated by delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

When the ward opened in October 652 people were on the list for elective orthopaedic surgery.

Though more people have joined the list since then, Medical Director, Dr Peter Rabey has praised the fast pace of procedures.

"This is a remarkable achievement in such a short amount of time.

Indeed, without the De Havilland Unit, many of these 100 would have been postponed due to significant pressure for beds in the hospital during this time."

Ted Bartie was the De Havilland ward's 100th patient. He has previously received treatment in the De Sausmarez unit but he says he much prefers the new area:

"These facilities are so much more modern, a hundred percent better.

I've got an en-suite here which is absolutely fantastic.

The nurses are all beautiful and lovely."

Deputy Sister of the ward, Zara le Page, says the team is happy to have hit the milestone so quickly:

"Opening this ward has definitely helped to achieve more patients coming through the hospital.

We're just so pleased to get people's surgeries done!

De Havilland's 100th patient, Ted Bartie and Deputy Sister of the ward, Zara le Page.

It's obviously been a team effort - we've got a really good atmosphere here, working well with the physios and the surgeons.

We're all really proud of what we've achieved."

She said implementing a pre-assessment clinic has also assisted in the pace:

"Patients are seen prior to admission for joint replacement surgery.

At this assessment, we are able to discuss the surgery and provide a significant amount of information and support to enable a smooth transition through the hospital.

This approach shortened the average length of stay for joint surgery to 2 days, compared to 6 or 7 previously – increasing the number of patients we can treat."