Helping you find the best joint replacement surgeon

When you’re considering a joint replacement, nothing matters more than choosing — and having confidence in — the surgeon performing your operation. At The MedicBook, one of our objectives is simple: we help patients find the very best specialists in the country for hip, knee, ankle, shoulder and elbow replacements.

We have many ways of identifying high performing consultants. From meeting them and understanding their practices, to listening to what their peers and hospital colleagues tell us about them. Unlike AI which trawls the internet and can only return results based on subjective, well-written content — which may or may not be true.

So, where possible we corroborate a 360 degree consultant suggestion with data. And for joint replacement surgery, here in the UK we're fortunate to have the National Joint Registry (NJR).

Introducing the National Joint Registry

The NJR is one of the largest databases of its kind in the world — covering England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Guernsey. This makes it an extraordinary resource for hospitals, surgeons and patients.

Why surgeon performance data matters

With over 4,500,000 joint replacement records (since it began in 2003), the National Joint Registry tracks every hip, knee, ankle, shoulder and elbow replacement and shows:

• Surgeon activity — how many replacements each consultant performs, and which joints they operate on.
• Implant performance — which devices are used, and how well they stand the test of time.
• Patient reported outcomes — how people feel six months after surgery in terms of improvements in pain, function and quality of life.
• Revision rates — how often implants fail and need re-doing, and each surgeon's revision rates.
• Hospital activity — volumes by joint and the surgeons performing replacements in each location.
  

Some of this information is available openly online, meaning patients can check their prospective surgeon’s profile in summary. Other details, such as a surgeon's outcomes and individual revision rates, are only shared with each surgeon — but may be available on request if, the surgeon is happy to share their results.

What the numbers show

Clearly, not all surgeons are the same — and we've seen some surgeons' NJR detailed feedback. So, without an individual's report here is some of the information you can glean online:

• The NJR shows whether a surgeon is a specialist in one joint only (supporting the notion of expertise) — or whether they spread their practice more widely across multiple joints.
• Surgeon volume matters. A high-volume, single joint focused replacement surgeon, in a high-volume hospital is likely to be associated with better patient outcomes. It stands to reason.
• NJR national averages give you context. So, taking all the hips replaced between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, the national average is 54 procedures per surgeon. (Bear that in mind in the following example.)

Of course, there will be exceptions to the correlation between improved outcomes and surgeons with a narrow focus of procedures. So, in any case it's worth asking your chosen surgeon to see their outcomes, no matter how many joints they operate on. 

A real-world example of one consultant: 'Surgeon A'

To see what a difference the focus on a single joint in high volumes can make, consider one of the UK’s foremost hip replacement surgeons — I've called him 'Surgeon A'.

• Surgeon A performs hip replacements only (no knees, shoulders, elbows or ankles).
• He's carried out 350 hip replacements in the last year — 6.5 times the national average for hip replacement surgeons.
• Other surgeons turn to him when they need hip surgery themselves.
  

Obviously, it’s not just about numbers. It’s about results:

• Surgeon A's revision rates (the chance of a hip replacement needing a redo) are around a third of the national average, with the strongest statistical confidence (due the volume of procedures he performs).
• Regarding patient outcomes, 63.2% of his patients rated their results as “Excellent” 6 months post-procedure, compared to a national average of 42.5%.
• When asked whether they were “much better” after surgery, 94.6% of his patients agreed, compared to 87.1% nationally.

These are world-class outcomes and significant differences. And patients should ask themselves why they wouldn’t want such excellence before going ahead with surgery — without greater knowledge of performance when it's out there thanks to the NJR.

Beyond hips: finding the best surgeon for every joint

While Surgeon A is exceptional for hips, The MedicBook also tracks the very best specialists in knees, ankles, shoulders and elbows. We combine NJR data with our own research and meet the surgeons to ensure we direct patients to consultants who:

• Focus on one or two joints only,
• Work in leading, high-volume centres, and
• Deliver patient outcomes above national benchmarks.

This means patients looking for any kind of joint replacement can have the same confidence as those needing a new hip.

Why this matters for patients

Joint replacement surgery is life-changing. Alongside cataract and cardiac surgery, hip replacement is one of the three most transformative operations in medicine, restoring independence, mobility and quality of life.

By choosing a surgeon with the right focus, volumes and outcomes, you’re not just getting a new joint — you’re getting your life back faster, with the highest chance of long-term success.

Contact us to find an outstanding joint replacement surgeon