Mike Blaze, 88, from Leicestershire, says his life is now “magic” thanks to two successful knee replacement surgeries at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Barlborough. Before his ops he was living in constant pain with acute osteoarthritis in both knees. It had become so severe that he couldn’t walk up the stairs.
“The care and service I received at Barlborough was far beyond what I expected. I consider it more of a hotel than a hospital! That’s how good it is. It’s absolutely brilliant and I 100% recommend it to everyone.”
Mike Blaze, knee replacement patient at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Barlborough
Mike says: “I struggled with knee pain for over 10 years. I was nervous about knee surgery as at the time, newspaper reports said it was a risky operation and the outcome could be 50/50. It put me off, so I struggled on and took painkillers.
“Everything changed after my wife met a friend whose father had had both knees done at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Barlborough. He’d said it was marvellous. Coincidentally, there was an open day at the hospital the following week. I took it as a sign and decided to go along. Meeting the team and learning about the procedure was really reassuring and gave me the confidence I needed.
“Although I live 38 miles away from the hospital, I knew I had a choice of where I could be treated under the NHS. I specifically asked my GP to refer me to Barlborough.
“In 2019, I had my left knee replaced by Mr Lovasz, and in 2021, I returned for my right knee replacement with Mr Toth. Both times, the care I received was exceptional. I stayed in for just one night on each occasion and was impressed by the great service and attention to detail from all the staff. It was a thoroughly great experience.
“In 2019, I had my left knee replaced by Mr Lovasz, and in 2021, I returned for my right knee replacement with Mr Toth. Both times, the care I received was exceptional.”
Mike Blaze, knee replacement patient at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Barlborough
“The care and service I received at Barlborough was far beyond what I expected. I consider it more of a hotel than a hospital! That’s how good it is. It’s absolutely brilliant and I 100% recommend it to everyone. In fact, at least five people I know have gone on to have successful surgery there under my recommendation!
“Since my knee surgeries, life has been magic. I can walk regularly again and keep up with exercise. I’ve recently had a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to India with my wife – something I could only have dreamed of before my ops. My wife wanted to see the Taj Mahal and I was keen to go on safari. It was marvellous. It was quite a tiring trip with lots of cultural tours and walking about seeing the sights. With my now good knees I was able to thoroughly enjoy it all thanks to both my surgeons.”
