A SMALL number of local patients have been given a type of hip replacement that has allegedly caused health problems in some recipients.

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital has been in contact with them by telephone or letter but says fewer than 20 people are affected.

All have been offered the appropriate treatment if it is necessary.

Last year, manufacturers DePuy, part of Johnson and Johnson, issued a voluntary recall of the so-called “metal on metal” joints after figures showing that about 12 per cent of patients who had them needed corrective surgery within five years.

With wear and tear, the devices can release small metal particles into the bloodstream, which may cause a reaction in some patients.

Symptoms can include pain, swelling and walking problems. Only people who have had a hip replacement since July 2003 may be affected.

De Puy recommends that anyone who had an ASR hip should ask for an appointment to find out how the joint is performing, and have annual check-ups for five years after surgery.

The company is offering to cover reasonable costs involved with testing, treatment and revision surgery if it is needed.

The two models recalled by De Puy last August are the ASR XL Acetabular hip system and the ASR Articular Surface Replacement.

A spokesperson for the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “ASR joints have been used by the Trust in the past on a very small number of patients and these patients have been contacted.

“The trust is complying with the latest guidance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on metal on metal hips.”