JOY Palfreman is enjoying a new lease of life after having a hip replacement – at the age of 102.

Centenarian Joy, from Exmouth in Devon, travelled to Parkside, the private wing of Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, for her op.

It was carried out by Ben Bolland, who has been an orthopaedic consultant for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for 10 years, making her the oldest person believed to have had the surgery at Musgrove.

And Joy said she was delighted with her new hip.

“It’s amazing. I really didn’t think at my age they would do the operation but I’m so pleased they did,” she said.

“Before the hip replacement I was in excruciating pain and couldn’t walk. Now I’m getting around so much better. It’s given me a new lease of life.”

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It has only been a few weeks since the operation but Joy is now walking, pain-free, with the help of a frame and is improving her fitness by walking up and down the long corridor in the flats where she lives.

Surgeon Ben said: “Mrs Palfreman is testimony indeed that age alone should not be a discriminator to surgery. I am delighted for her that her surgery and postoperative recovery went so smoothly.

“It is wonderful that she is now pain free and feels that she has a better quality of life – she is a delight to look after and I wish her many more years with her new lease of life.”

Joy Palfreman is recovering after her hip replacement operation in Taunton

Sarah Porter, private patients business manager at Parkside, said: “Age should not be used as a barrier to surgery, if the patient is fit enough. And we considered Joy certainly was.”

Joy’s son, David Palfreman, added: “Mum chose to have the operation privately because she developed severe pain quite suddenly and just wanted the operation done quickly.

“She has been utterly amazing throughout this whole process. We can’t speak highly enough of the care mum received at Parkside. It is wonderful now to see her walking, free from pain.”

Parkside at Musgrove is part of the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and while private patients pay for their treatment – which takes place out of hours – all profits go straight back into the NHS, benefiting the hospital and the patient.

Joy isn’t the oldest person in the UK to have hip surgery, however, with that honour going to former concert pianist Gladys Hooper, who was 112 when she had a hip replacement in 2015.