About Us

The South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC) is based at Epsom Hospital and is run in partnership by four local acute NHS trusts. We provide specialist elective orthopaedic services for patients from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, and Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

SWLEOC was established as an operationally independent centre, while remaining fully accountable to its four partner trusts. This unique collaborative model allows the centre to focus exclusively on planned orthopaedic surgery, delivering high-quality and efficient care.

The centre was founded in 2004 in response to increasing pressure on trauma and orthopaedic services and rapidly growing elective waiting lists, which at the time exceeded two years. SWLEOC was one of the UK’s earliest dedicated elective surgical “hubs”, created to protect planned surgery from emergency pressures and improve patient access to timely treatment.

Since its establishment, SWLEOC has grown significantly and is now recognised as the largest hip and knee replacement centre in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe. The centre performs around 6,000 orthopaedic procedures, including approximately 3,200 joint replacements, supported by a highly specialised multidisciplinary team and purpose-built facilities.

  • Patient satisfaction remains consistently high at 98% across all areas of care

  • Waiting times vary depending on your consultant and the type of surgery required. Wherever possible, we aim to treat patients within the NHS 18-week referral-to-treatment pathway.

  • Capped theatre utilisation is consistently high, operating at 85% capacity, supporting efficient use of operating time.

  • The average length of stay is 1.7 days.

  • 30% of hip and knee replacement patients are able to return home on the same day as surgery.

  • 65% of hip and knee replacement patients are discharged by day one after surgery.

​A Centre of Excellence

The South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC) is recognised nationally and internationally as a centre of excellence in orthopaedic surgery, research, and innovation. Our patient-centred care is delivered by a dedicated multi-disciplinary team focused on continuously improving care pathways to provide high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective elective orthopaedic services.

Our Values

At SWLEOC, our values guide how we work together and care for our patients. They reflect our commitment to delivering high-quality elective orthopaedic care in a supportive, open, and continuously improving environment. From the outset, SWLEOC had the opportunity to create a different way of working and build on the expertise of our multi-disciplinary team, we developed an environment that puts patients at the centre of everything we do.

Caring

We provide compassionate, respectful, and personalised care, supporting patients, their families, and our staff. We recognise that a positive experience at every stage of the patient journey is essential to high-quality care.

Transparency

We are open, honest, and accountable in all our decisions and actions. We communicate clearly with patients, staff, and partners, sharing information about care, outcomes, and performance, and being open when things do not go as planned.

Learning

We are a learning organisation that values education, research, and continuous improvement. We encourage shared learning, seek opportunities to enhance patient pathways and outcomes, and support the ongoing development of our staff.

Excellence

We strive for excellence in elective orthopaedic care. Through innovation, robust outcome measurement, and a focus on quality and safety, we deliver high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective services that meet the highest standards.

​Working in Partnership

The centre is supported by 53 consultant orthopaedic surgeons and a highly skilled, dedicated multidisciplinary team who work collaboratively to deliver safe, effective, and patient-focused care.

SWLEOC was established as an operationally independent organisation, while remaining fully accountable to its four partner trusts. This model enables the centre to focus exclusively on planned elective orthopaedic surgery. The use of ring-fenced beds, theatres, and staff protects elective activity from acute pressures elsewhere in the system, ensuring that capacity challenges do not compromise the delivery of high-quality, planned care for patients.