Knee and hip app 'may make major hospital savings'

The app supports people recovering from hip and knee surgery

A mobile phone app which supports people recovering from hip and knee surgery could save a Devon hospital trust up to £50,000 a year, doctors have said.

The myrecovery app, used by about 250 patients since its launch in Torbay and South Devon in July 2025, helps patients prepare for their surgery and monitors their progress during recovery.

Patients completed daily pain scores and could use the app to get in contact with Torbay Hospital if there were any issues, bosses said.

Mr David Isaac, orthopaedic surgeon at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It's probably safer than what we do now as the patients are far more easily able to get in touch."

About 250 patients have used the app since July

"They can upload the photographs of their wounds, they can demonstrate their range of motion, and they can easily raise concerns in a fashion which has not been possible before," Mr Isaac said.

Historically, consultants would see every patient for follow-up appointments in the hospital after surgery, but the app had enabled the team to see how patients were recovering remotely and see if an appointment was needed, staff said.

"The typical cost of seeing patients as an outpatient is around £80 and, if we save 350 appointments a year, that is £30,000 straight off," Mr Isaac said.

"And with nurse and later follow-up appointments saved, we are probably talking around £50,000 in savings a year."

Rachael Taylor had her knee replaced in August

Rachael Taylor, 61, from Brixham, had a knee replaced in August.

She said the app had been very helpful in getting in contact with the team when she needed to.

She said: "It was so much easier than making telephone calls to get to the department.

"It was answered and the queries were sorted within a couple of hours."

Anaesthetist Dr Claire Blandford wrote a large part of the clinical content for the app

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Claire Blandford wrote a large part of the clinical content for the app.

She said patients had the opportunity to log in on a daily basis after their surgery.

They would input things such as pain scores, whether they were feeling sick and ask questions about early complications, she said.

That fed into a database which clinical teams at the hospital would look at and will actively contact patients to offer targeted support where needed.

"We didn't have anything like that before, so this is a major step forward which we hope will be transformative for the patient," Dr Blandford added.

At the moment, the myrecovery app is only available to hip and knee patients, but the trust said it planned to roll it out across the whole of the orthopaedic unit in the future.