Update - national incident - production of bone cement

This is an update for our patients who are booked in for a planned joint replacement operation.

German-based company Heraeus Medical supply bone cement to a large proportion of the world and UK markets. A packaging fault temporarily stopped production at Heraeus’ main stile. Whilst production has now restarted, product availability will be impacted for at least two months. This is a global issue.

This could have a significant impact on the ability to do some planned joint replacement operations nationally, regionally and locally at Northumbria Healthcare.

Bone cement is a special, fast-hardening plastic compound (like super-strong grout) used by surgeons to fix artificial joints to living bone.

We want to assure you that we are doing all we can to manage this situation and reduce the impact of this national incident on our patients.

Currently, Northumbria Healthcare’s bone cement stock levels, which are being managed very carefully, will allow the trust to continue to do planned joint replacement operations. However, this is a fast-moving situation, and this may change.

We will contact patients if we need to postpone your operation. If you haven’t heard from us, please come to hospital for your operation as planned.

All other planned operations and outpatient activity is not affected.

If the current stock level situation does change, bone cement that Northumbria Healthcare has will need to be used for patients with the most urgent need - hip fracture (trauma) operations, urgent cancer and revision work and infected joints.

This situation is a changing one and we will keep people updated as things progress.