For Patients in Worcester and Gloucester

Hip & Knee Surgery for Patients in Worcester & Gloucester

When a hip or knee has reached the point of dictating your day, it is worth being treated somewhere that does this work constantly. Mr Shakir Hussain is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Birmingham, one of the largest specialist orthopaedic hospitals in Europe. For patients in Worcester and Gloucester it is the nearest of his three sites, a straight run up the M5, with free parking and a pathway built to keep your journeys to a minimum.

Mr Shakir Hussain, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Birmingham, who treats hip and knee patients travelling from Worcester and Gloucester
Treatments Offered

Hip and knee surgery for Worcester and Gloucester patients

Choose a treatment to see what it involves, which hospital it is carried out at, and how far you would be travelling from either city.

A worn hip is replaced with a new ball and socket, and most people are up on their feet the same day. Straightforward hips are done well in many hospitals.

What brings people up the M5 is the hip that is not straightforward: a hip that never formed properly, an old break, a previous operation, or a younger patient who needs the result to last. Surgery is at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, about 22 miles from Worcester and 47 from Gloucester.

About hip replacement →

Instead of removing the top of the thigh bone, the worn surface is capped with a smooth cover, keeping more of your own bone for the future. It suits younger and more active people.

Birmingham is where this operation was developed, and it is still offered in only a handful of places in the country, which is why patients travel for it.

About hip resurfacing at hipresurfacing.uk →

The worn surfaces of the knee are resurfaced with new parts. Where only one side of the knee is worn, a smaller partial replacement often recovers more quickly. Both conventional and robotic-assisted knee replacement are offered, with a robot used where it is clinically indicated.

Knee surgery is done at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, the closest of the three hospitals to both cities.

About knee replacement →

A hip or knee replacement that has worn out, worked loose, become infected or slipped out of place can be redone.

This needs a hospital that stocks the full range of specialist implants and has high dependency care for afterwards, which is why it is concentrated in a few centres. It is the work Mr Hussain is most often asked to take on by other surgeons, and the most common reason patients make the journey.

About revision surgery →
Why Mr Shakir Hussain

Specialist care at three Birmingham hospitals

Mr Hussain consults and operates at three Birmingham hospitals: the Woodlands Suite at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, the Harborne Hospital, and Priory Hospital Edgbaston. The Royal Orthopaedic is the closest to Worcester and Gloucester, and as one of the largest specialist orthopaedic hospitals in Europe it is where the more involved hips and knees are done.

All three are private hospitals with full inpatient facilities, and for most operations you can pick whichever is easiest to reach. Where they differ is what happens when a case turns out to be more involved than expected. The Royal Orthopaedic is a hospital for bone and joint surgery alone, rather than a general hospital with an orthopaedic ward. Its operating theatres, scanners, physiotherapists and infection specialists are all set up for this one kind of surgery, the implants needed for an unexpected finding are held on site, and high dependency care is available for anyone who needs closer monitoring afterwards. That matters more when you are travelling, because it means a problem can be dealt with on site rather than turning into another journey. Mr Hussain is a high volume hip surgeon and knee surgeon whose practice is built around complex cases, including patients sent on by other surgeons. He trained in revision surgery at the ENDO-Klinik in Hamburg, one of the leading centres in Europe for redoing joint replacements, and has been given the Doctify Outstanding Patient Experience award in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Because so many of his patients travel, the clinic is arranged around it: appointments and scans grouped into one trip wherever possible, and physiotherapy set up close to home.

Specialist orthopaedic care

The Royal Orthopaedic treats bones and joints and nothing else, with the full range of replacement parts kept on site.

High dependency care

On hand for patients whose general health means they need closer monitoring in the days after surgery.

Complex cases welcome

Including joint replacements that have failed, and patients referred on by other surgeons.

Travelling Further

Keeping the number of trips down

An hour each way is a real cost, and it is the main practical objection to being treated in Birmingham. Three things are arranged specifically to reduce it.

Fewer Journeys

One visit where possible

Where it is clinically sensible, your consultation, imaging and pre-operative assessment are coordinated into a single trip rather than three separate ones. This is not always possible, and it depends on what needs to be assessed, but it is the default we work towards for patients travelling from further afield.

Imaging

Scans already done locally

X-rays, MRI or CT already performed at a hospital or imaging centre near you will be reviewed rather than repeated, provided the images are of adequate quality and recent enough to be reliable. Bring them, or ask your GP or local unit to forward them before your appointment.

Rehabilitation

Physiotherapy closer to home

Rehabilitation after hip and knee replacement runs for weeks, and driving to Birmingham for every session makes little sense. Physiotherapy is handed back to a physiotherapist near you, with Mr Hussain overseeing your progress and reviewing you at the agreed follow-up points.

National Joint Registry

Results you can look up for yourself

Every hip and knee replacement performed in the UK is recorded in the National Joint Registry, and each surgeon's revision rate is published and benchmarked against the national average. Mr Hussain's figures for both hip and knee replacement are set out in full, along with a plain-English guide to reading them, on his outcomes page. They are there so you can look them up rather than take anyone's word for it.

Common Questions

Questions from patients travelling from Worcester and Gloucester

Where does Mr Hussain consult?+
Mr Hussain consults and operates at three private hospitals in Birmingham: the Woodlands Suite at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital on Bristol Road South in Northfield, the Harborne Hospital on Mindelsohn Way, and Priory Hospital Edgbaston on Priory Road. You can be seen at whichever suits you best. More involved hip and knee surgery is carried out at the Royal Orthopaedic, which is a specialist orthopaedic hospital with high dependency care on site.
How many trips to Birmingham will I need to make?+
Fewer than you might expect. Where it is clinically sensible, your consultation, imaging and pre-operative assessment are coordinated into a single visit rather than three. Physiotherapy after surgery is handed back to a physiotherapist near you, so the follow-up journeys are limited to the agreed review appointments.
Can I have my scans done locally rather than in Birmingham?+
In most cases yes. X-rays, MRI or CT already performed at a hospital or imaging centre near you will be reviewed rather than repeated, provided the images are recent enough and of adequate quality. Bring them with you, or ask your GP or local unit to forward them ahead of your appointment.
Is parking free, and will I pay the Clean Air Zone charge?+
Woodlands Suite private patients receive a free parking pass on arrival at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital. There is free patient parking at Priory Hospital Edgbaston and in Car Park 2 on Wolfson Drive at the Harborne Hospital. All three sit outside the Clean Air Zone, so there is no charge to drive to your appointment.
Do I need a GP referral to be seen privately?+
A GP referral is welcome but not essential for a private consultation. You can self-refer by contacting Wendy Richards, Mr Hussain's secretary. If you are using private medical insurance, your insurer may require a GP referral letter and an authorisation code before your appointment, so it is worth checking with them first.

Ready to Discuss Your Hip or Knee?

Wendy Richards, Mr Hussain's secretary, can arrange your appointment and coordinate imaging and pre-operative assessment into as few visits as possible. Self-pay and insured patients are both welcome.