Exeter physio joins charity mission

An NHS physiotherapist from Exeter has returned from a charity mission to transform the lives of patients and improve services in rural Kenya.

Amy Souster spent 10 days on the Kenya Orthopaedic Project (KOP), joining a team of healthcare professionals from the UK tasked with educating and operating on as many local people in need as possible.

The team visited Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital, which serves a population of over 100,000 in Northern Kenya.

“They have 150 beds and six doctors who try to provide a service that covers every medical condition seen in this area,” said Amy, who lives in Exeter and works as a physiotherapist in the Okehampton community rehabilitation team

“There is minimal government funding and patients are required to pay for their surgery, hospital stay, dressing changes and all aspects of their care.

“Injuries and fractures go largely untreated as treatment is unaffordable for most.

“As manual work is the main means to an income, disability can be devastating to these people and their families.”

Amy, who is based at Okehampton Hospital and works for the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, was joined by a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, two anaesthetists, two scrub nurses, a physiotherapist and a theatre healthcare assistant from Plymouth.

The other physiotherapist was Nichola Giblin, who used to work with Amy in Okehampton until taking up a role at Derriford Hospital last year.

The team in Kenya was completed by a surgical assistant practitioner and a radiographer from Torbay, two doctors from Exeter and an orthopaedic registrar from Birmingham.

The project started with a clinic run by the doctors and physiotherapists where local people came with their injuries and x-rays hoping the team would treat them and improve their lives.

“The majority of people came with a leg or arm fracture which could have been many years on from the initial injury,” said Amy, 32.

“Some of the fractures still had open wounds and the bones were infected, and in some instances the bones weren’t united.

“Many fractures had been treated at the time of injury with an unsuccessful pin or cast and others had not been treated at all.

“The patients were assessed pre-operatively by the anaesthetists and admitted for surgery within the next six days.

“As a physio our role was post op on the ward to advise and educate patients on the benefits of weight bearing soon on newly pinned limbs and the need for movement and exercises of newly operated on limbs as many people fear pain and avoid movement due to a lack of understanding about their bodies.

“It was very intense and motivating to see the morale of people sharing single beds if they couldn’t afford a bed to themselves, sharing crutches and frames, helping each other out with language and translation and being motivated to get up and move as soon as they could.

“We also did teaching sessions with the local teams and presented a case at the end of the week at the hospital’s continuing medical education (CME) meeting.

“It was an eye-opening and incredible experience that will stay with me forever.”

The trip was led by charities EGHO (Exploring Global Health Opportunities) and MEAK (Medical and Educational Aid to Kenya).

Amy has worked in the Okehampton community rehabilitation team for six years, supporting patients at the hospital and in their own homes.

Before that she worked as a junior rotational physiotherapist in Tiverton, Cullompton and Crediton.

Amy is planning a career break in 2016, when she intends to head to South America to volunteer as a physiotherapist for two to three years.

For more information about EGHO or MEAK, visit http://egho.co.uk or www.meak.org.