Orthopaedic surgeons deal with traumatic injuries to the bones and joints and diseases of the skeleton, the commonest of which is osteoarthritis. The joints involved with posture and movement include the spine, hips, knees, ankles, feet, shoulders, elbows, wrist and hands. As well as looking after problems with the bones, we also deal with problems involving the muscles, ligaments and nerves, including sports injuries.

The trauma and orthopaedics department at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of four major trauma centres in London. We treat 1400 patients per year with broken bones due to accidents providing life-saving care as well as saving limbs with reconstructive surgery. We are a team of 22 consultants with a world-wide expertise intreating fractures, sports injuries, cancer, arthritis and children within state of the art facilities using cutting edge technology.The department has strong links with other specialties such as physiotherapists, plastic surgeons, rheumatologists, oncologists and microbiologists, working as a team to ensure the best outcomes for our patients. Together they are involved in research projects to improve care and ensure an improved quality of life for patients. We have surgeons who have also known active service and are experts in treating patients with bomb blast and gunshot wounds as well as those who have worked for charities in Africa and war-torn countries.

A number of the consultants operate at the southwest London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC). Opened in 2004, this is a purpose-built 65 bed unit on the site of Epsom Hospital with excellent transport links.

Now known as the Elective Orthopaedic Centre, this is the busiest joint replacement unit in the United Kingdom and one of the busiest in the world. St George’s patients needing hip replacement, knee replacement, ligament reconstruction, shoulder and foot surgery will generally undergo surgery in the Centre and then be followed up after surgery back at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Inpatient beds are located on the fifth floor of St James’ Wing. The Outpatient and Fracture Clinic is on the ground floor of St James’ Wing. Fracture Clinics take place on a daily basis in the morning. The Day Surgery Unit is a self contained department on the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust site.

The Elective Orthopaedic Centre is located on the Dorking Road, on the Epsom Hospital Site. The post code is KT18 7EG and telephone enquiries should be made to 01372 735 800.

About St. George’s Hospital NHS Trust

With nearly 8,500 dedicated staff caring for patients around the clock, we are the largest healthcare provider in southwest London.

Our main site, St George’s Hospital in Tooting – one of the country’s principal teaching hospitals – is shared with St George’s, University of London, which trains medical students and carries out advanced medical research. St George’s Hospital also hosts the St George’s, University of London and Kingston University Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences, which is responsible for training a wide range of healthcare professionals from across the region.

As well as acute hospital services, we provide a wide variety of specialist care and a full range of community services to patients of all ages following integration with Community Services Wandsworth in 2010.

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of 1.3 million across southwest London. A large number of services, such as cardiothoracic medicine and surgery, neurosciences and renal transplantation, also cover significant populations from Surrey and Sussex, totalling around 3.5 million people.

The trust also provides care for patients from a larger catchment area in southeast England, for specialties such as complex pelvic trauma. Other services treat patients from all over the country, such as family HIV care and bone marrow transplantation for non-cancer diseases. The trust also provides a nationwide state-of-the-art endoscopy training centre.