Select a region
Expertise introduced to the island last year by Medical Specialist Group (MSG) consultant surgeon Mr George Cooper has increased the island’s capability to offer complex orthopaedic surgery – reducing the need for patients to travel to the UK.
Mr Cooper joined the MSG in May 2021 from the Royal Orthopaedic hospital in Birmingham where he spent the previous three years providing orthopaedic subspecialist care as a complex revision surgeon. The extensive surgical experience gained during that time has enabled Mr Cooper to perform complex surgeries locally, which would have otherwise required patients to travel off-island for treatment.
“In the UK I specialised in revision joint replacements, which is when a patient requires surgery to replace a worn-out replacement,” explained Mr Cooper. “Now practicing in Guernsey, this is something I can offer patients locally, saving them the inconvenience of traveling overseas, reducing cost and preventing further delay to the surgery due to the long wait times being experienced in the UK. Some of my patients had been waiting up to two years but once under my care, I was able to operate on them within months and in some cases weeks.
“While there are still some more complex surgeries, those requiring several different specialists’ involvement, that need to be done off-island, our team is now able to perform more orthopaedic surgery than ever before. This is incredibly pertinent given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on waiting lists.”
Someone who has experienced first-hand the benefit of Mr Cooper’s expertise is former Guernsey resident John Sharpe. John now lives in the UK with his family but underwent revision surgery with Mr Cooper in September last year. He had been waiting more than two years and still had not received a surgery date at the time of being transferred to Mr Cooper’s care; within three weeks of his first consultation, John was in hospital recovering from his surgery.
“By the time I saw Mr Cooper, I had been waiting two years and I was fed up”, said John. “I was experiencing pain on a daily basis, and it was taking its toll on my personal and working life. Although now retired, I worked as a lorry driver and didn’t have the mobility I needed to do my job properly. I had also needed a crutch to walk, which was both limiting and exhausting.
“I have only positive things to say about Mr Cooper. On top of doing a stellar job on my hip, he was very personable, confident in his ability which puts you at ease, and explained everything clearly. I’m very pleased with how it went, I’m no longer in constant pain and back to doing the things I enjoy like gardening. It’ll still be a few months until my hip is fully healed but I’m just so glad that my journey to recovery has finally started. A big thank you to Mr Cooper.”
Mr Cooper added, “In Mr Sharpe’s case, there was an increasing risk that the bone around the replacement would fracture the longer it was left untreated. Hip and knee injuries also have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, so I was really pleased we were able to progress his treatment on-island without further delay and delighted with the outcome. I wish Mr Sharpe all the best.”
