Mr Kosuge would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. He hopes that like himself, you have been able to relax and spend quality time with family & friends. Mr Kosuge often uses this time to reflect upon his year at work.

Mr Kosuge was delighted to see productivity levels at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust improve following the hangover impact the COVID pandemic had left on elective activity, and despite the many challenges inherent in the NHS. Following the successful implementation of GIRFT related changes, this year marked a return to theatre productivity levels that Mr Kosuge is extremely proud of. This meant that Mr Kosuge was able to operate on more of his patients who desperately needed treatment.

The nature of being a surgeon is such that encountering complications in patients is an unfortunate but inevitable part of the job. Fortunately, serious complications are rare. Mr Kosuge recognises the physical and psychosocial impact that complications have on his patients and does his utmost to address issues in a timely manner. The impact of a complication on the well-being of surgeons is also well documented. After a complication, Mr Kosuge spends much time reflecting with the hope that he can identify areas for improvement. 2024 has allowed Mr Kosuge to continue to develop skills to manage his own responses to complications so that he maintains his high quality care not only for the patient who has had the complication, but also for other patients under his care.

The General Medical Council states that patients have a unique perspective and their feedback can help surgeons identify areas of strength or opportunities for improvement. Mr Kosuge is extremely grateful to his patients for feedback and collects these via mechanisms such as iWantGreatCare and ‘Friends & Family’ testing. He takes both the positive and negatives to shape his clinical practice. Mr Kosuge is also delighted to receive messages of thanks during his out-patient clinics and through letters/cards sent to him. Reflecting on these remind Mr Kosuge of why he is in the vocation of orthopaedic surgery. Mr Kosuge wishes for 2025 to be a year in which he can continue to help his patients to the best of his ability.

The NHS Friends and Family test (FTT) was created to help service providers and commissioners understand whether patients are happy with the service provided, or where improvements are needed. It is a quick and anonymous way in which patients can feedback about the care they received. This short film explains what the FFT is in a simple way. Whilst commonly used to assess a hospital or a particular service, it is possible to use the test to assess an individual surgeon.

Mr Kosuge opts to collect this data so that his patients can feedback on the care he provides and on areas where improvement may be required. Out of 895 tests, 822 patients (92%) were ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Mr Kosuge to their Friends and Family. The following are a selection of comments left by patients who completed the test;

• ‘Very clear with wording on diagnosis, very polite, makes you feel at ease and very good at stitching leaving neat tidy scar. Thank you.’

• ‘Made me feel very safe having the hip op. Answered all my questions. Very patient friendly.’

• ‘Dennis put me at ease throughout my experience from my initial meeting with him right up until and during surgery. He took time to explain everything and was interested in how I was feeling about the surgery ensuring that he provided adequate and very detailed responses at all times.’

• ‘At appointments and in surgery, I always felt that Mr Kosuge explained everything in great detail, always happy too answer any questions myself or my husband had. In surgery I was made to feel relaxed and trusted Mr Kosuge fully. If in the future I need further surgery on my other hip or be it knee's, I would hope that Mr Kosuge would be my surgeon yet again. Would like to thank him for everything and hope for a full recovery.’

• ‘Mr Kosuge is a good surgeon, he has done both my knees now and they are fantastic, he listens to you and has time for you.’

• ‘Made to feel very comfortable leading up to procedure and following the operation’

Mr Kosuge is extremely grateful for the feedback. He will continue to improve his clinical practice based on the comments and feedback he receives from his patients.