The Cambridge Prosthetic and Orthotic Service transferred from clinic nine in Addenbrooke's Hospital to its newly-converted base in Great Shelford with new facilities and high-tech equipment - ensuring that the time it takes to see a patient, design and fit a new limb or orthotic has been cut dramatically.
For the first time ever, prosthetics are being made in an on-site workshop, instead of having to be sent away to be manufactured. In addition to this, another first for the centre is a multi-thousand-pound, outdoor terrain area funded by ACT and its supporters.
The new area, which includes smooth surfaces, slopes, cobbles, grass, stones as well as the knobbly textures found underfoot at pedestrian crossings allows amputees to trial new limbs on more realistic surfaces.
Previously to this, patients were only able to test out new limbs within hospital corridors or navigate busy, outside areas. Now, however, the new outdoor facility allows prosthetic patients to test drive their new limb and build their confidence in a more realistic setting.
ACT’s Chief Executive Shelly Thake said: “We would like to thank our supporters who have contributed to these wonderful new facilities in Great Shelford. We were particularly pleased to assist with the all-terrain facility which will be extremely useful in assessing the suitability of the prosthetics made for patients.”
As well as the multi-terrain area, ACT supporters also funded the decoration of the children’s area which features fun, animated designs of animals and sea life from around the world – each sporting a prosthetic limb. Images include a crab with scissors as a pincher and a donkey with a fly swat attached to its tail to swat away the flies.
In addition to the on-site workshop, the extra space at the centre has allowed for a larger movement or ‘gait’ room which uses motion cameras, gait plates and giant TV screens to recreate 3D reconstructions of a patient’s walk – which can then be analysed by a physiotherapist to help work out how a patient is walking and how their prosthetic can be adapted to improve functionality.
ACT was also instrumental in funding half of the camera system within the gait room which Clinical Scientist Dr Thomas Stone jokingly likened to a Hollywood film studio.
Praising ACT supporters for their donation to buy the cameras several years ago, Dr Stone said that by having this high-tech camera system, which creates 3D reconstructions, it allows quicker analysis of where improvements need to be made.
“Our job is to distill a vast amount of information into a clinical report very quickly. A clinician in a clinical setting has 15 minutes to see a patient. Sometimes to try and work out why something isn’t working the way it should be can be very, very hard if you are doing it live. With our cameras, we can take it offline and clinicians can watch a video back and slow it right down to really analyse a patient’s gait. To be able to pick up the 20, 30, or 40 things it could be if something is not working is very hard so we can make it a lot easier for them.”
In addition to the high-tech equipment in the gait room, physios now use a quicker form of cast called an eCAST which sets within about 20 minutes and doesn’t require setting overnight like the old plaster cast version. New phone technology also allows them to scan patient limbs to quickly build a design for a new orthotic or prosthetic limb.
Where patients with scoliosis previously had to undergo general anaesthetic in order to be fitted with a cast, the new phone scanner designs the cast in under a minute – greatly reducing costs as well as patient appointment times.
The centre, opened by mobility specialist Opcare Ltd on behalf of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is run by more than 30 staff including consultants, allied health professionals and clinical scientists.
They will assist more than 3,300 patients a year of all ages from across the region, including war veterans.
The official opening of the centre welcomed organizations from across the amputee community, including the Limbless Association, which links amputees with peers. National Outreach Manager, Clifton Henry, said: “This amazing centre shows the work that is happening within the clinical environment but as an amputee the challenge is in the communities and it is the support beyond the clinical setting that is so important. You can’t beat the power of peer support.”
Also present at the official opening was Steel Bones, an amputee charity for civilians. Mum Rachel attended with her daughter, Kiera, 14, who was born with a childhood condition which led to her foot being amputated as a baby.
Testing out the slopes and different surfaces for the first time, Keira added: “It’s absolutely great. I remember one time outside Addenbrooke’s I nearly tripped over a brick that was lying on the floor outside but to have this dedicated outdoor space here makes it much nicer.”
A personal touch within the centre includes some glass mirrors designed with specially adapted images of patients with prosthetics. Cambridge-based company Go Glass, who specialize in glass decoration and architectural glass, donated the mirrors after the experience of Managing Director Tracy Saunders, who lost a leg many years ago.
Her brother, Design Director Clive Sparkes, said: “When my sister first lost her leg years ago there weren’t any mirrors in the gyms and she just wanted to see her leg, which is why we wanted to donate the mirrors to this amazing new centre.”
The designs have been adapted for the different areas within the centre. Mirrors in the prosthetic rooms show a person performing a cartwheel and wearing a prosthetic, whilst in the orthotics area, the person performing the cartwheel is seen wearing an orthotic. The design in the paediatric gym, however, is of a superhero wearing a prosthetic leg, with changeable LED lights to help calm young patients in what can be a stressful situation.
If you would like to donate to ACT to make our hospitals even better, by providing high-tech equipment like that at the new Prosthetic and Orthotics Centre or by funding research above and beyond what the NHS is able to provide please go to: act4addenbrookes.org.uk/fundraising
