The ‘life changing’ NHS department celebrating 10 incredible years

A remarkable Manchester health service has just marked a decade of life-changing work for thousands of amputees across the region.

The Specialised Ability Centre in Wythenshawe, operated by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, welcoming patients, staff, and supporters for an inspiring day of reflection and gratitude.

Specialised Ability Centre

Over the past ten years, this facility has become one of England’s leading providers of prosthetic and amputee services, offering vital support to individuals of all ages, from newborns to seniors.

At the heart of the centre’s success is its partnership with Opcare, which builds and customizes prosthetic limbs on-site. Each limb is individually tailored, ranging from standard designs to advanced, bionic options.

The team’s craft goes far beyond function; they work closely with patients to match the limb’s appearance, even hand-painting it to match the original or applying whimsical themes for younger patients who request superhero or Disney designs.

10 years of amazing work

The anniversary event also provided an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the centre’s workshops.

One of their most recent patients is John Knight, who came to the service after losing his leg below the knee. He joined one of the behind-the-scenes tours being provided for patients during the event and said:

“It’s been fascinating to see all the workshops and the work that goes into perfecting all the different limbs. As a patient you don’t see it, you just come in, do your physio, get measured up and a limb comes back. You don’t appreciate how much craft goes into them.

“Their work will give me my life back. I lost my leg as I originally had a diabetic foot ulcer, over six years it spread until I was unfortunately told my leg would have to be amputated. My house is up a row of stairs, so with me currently being in a wheelchair, I can’t ever leave home on my own.

“Having a prosthetic replacement will completely change that, the support I’ve received to get there is a credit to the people who work here and the NHS. They’re giving me my life back.”

Centre Manager Lara Littler

For Lara Littler, the Centre Manager, the centre is much more than a medical service; it’s a lifeline.

“We don’t just provide prosthetic limbs and then wave our patients on their way.

“We support them throughout their lives, updating and repairing their prosthetics as needed,” Littler explained.

“For our youngest patients, we’re there from the very beginning, sometimes even before they’re born, working with parents to ensure they have everything they need. We really do feel like a family here.”

The Specialised Ability Centre also provides essential wheelchair and orthotic services for Manchester and Trafford, further broadening its reach.

Littler noted that many patients return to the centre even after moving out of the area, some as far away as Portsmouth, because of the deep connection they’ve formed with the staff and the centre’s sterling reputation.

The centre has witnessed extraordinary advancements in prosthetic technology over the last decade.

“bionic hands, revolutionary prosthetics”

Opcare’s work with cutting-edge designs, like bionic hands, has transformed possibilities for people who may never have dreamed of such functional and aesthetic limb replacements.

“The level of advancement we’ve seen over the last ten years has been a revolution,” Littler remarked.

“It’s the people’s stories that make the job for us.

“Whether it’s a Paralympian or someone who just wants to experience the world as they did before, hearing how our work has genuinely changed lives never gets old.”

As the centre celebrates this milestone, it looks forward to many more years of providing hope, mobility, and a renewed sense of independence to those it serves.

You can find out more about the Specialised Ability Centre in Wythenshawe by clicking here