UK completes first double hand transplant

The man who has received the UK's first double hand transplant is doing well, his doctor says.

The UK's first double hand transplant patient Chris King, from Doncaster, with his new hands at Leeds General Infirmary Source: AAP

The lead surgeon in the UK's first double hand transplant says he believes the patient will regain good movement and feeling in his hands.

Dr Simon Kay said on Friday that patient Chris King is "doing very well" after the complex 12-hour operation performed in the last 10 days.

King says he already has some movement in his hands.

The 57-year-old had lost both his hands except for his thumbs in an industrial accident three years ago.

He is the second person to receive a hand transplant at a specialist unit at the Leeds General Infirmary and the first to have both hands replaced.

The donor of the hands has not been identified but his family released a statement sending their best wishes to King.