Due to a global supply issue with medical cement, which is impacting all NHS hospitals, we’re working hard with national colleagues to minimise disruption wherever possible.
The product is used mostly in knee replacements, but also in some hip and shoulder replacements. Supplies have been impacted by a ‘critical machine failure’ which halted production at its site in Germany.
Existing stocks of the cement held in our hospitals are not affected, and we will be prioritising trauma and urgent orthopaedic cases with these supplies. That means patients with emergency conditions will be treated as normal and will not be impacted in anyway.
Our colleagues at NHS England are actively looking to find an alternative supplier and we are working hard to minimise delays for our patients. For those awaiting non-urgent hip and knee operations, we are currently reviewing our patient lists to see if we need to postpone any planned procedures while we await further guidance on supplies.
Patients do not need to contact our hospitals. Anyone impacted will be contacted by our teams, and a new date will be confirmed as soon as possible.
We know this news maybe worrying for patients who have been waiting for an operation, and are truly sorry for any uncertainty and inconvenience this could cause them.