Bob Watts and his team set out in 1989 to develop a centre that was the best in the United Kingdom; the team consisted of some of the best Prosthetists and Technicians in the country at the time.

From this early stage, it was realised that there were four important factors in producing an artificial limb.

The first and most important factor is the comfort of the socket, without this an amputee cannot wear the most sophisticated components and use them to their full potential.

Once a comfortable socket has been achieved, the next factor to take into consideration is the function of the artificial limb.

Dorset Orthopaedic Heather Mills approached her and started to develop a Silicone Cosmetic Cover for her: it became apparent that fitting an artificial limb with a very realistic looking cover helped Heather and others to overcome their accidents and be treated like everyone else. Bob Watts took his results in 1995 to the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics World Congress in Melbourne, Australia where he presented a paper on the quality of cosmetic finishes on to artificial limbs.

Dorset Orthopaedic has continued to develop its service of caring and listening to its customers. Three main issues still remain the key factors of importance when fitting artificial limbs, namely comfort, function and cosmesis.