About Us
SWLEOC is operated by the Trust, in conjunction with neighbouring trusts on a partnership basis from Epsom. This NHS treatment centre provides orthopaedic services to patients of St George's, Croydon Health Services and Kingston hospitals in addition to patients from Epsom and St Helier.
Since being opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 2004, SWLEOC has grown rapidly to become the largest hip and knee replacement centre in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.
SWLEOC currently provides a total of 65 beds (two 25-bed post-operative wards and a 15-bed recovery suite with high dependency and critical care facilities) and has five state-of-the-art orthopaedic operating theatres.
Our Centre is delivering on its vision to be a world leader in elective orthopaedic care with year on year top patient focused service results. In 2013, SWLEOC has:
Been recognised as a centre of excellence by many both nationally and internationally for hip and knee replacement surgery and research and development;
Had its own Professorship awarded recognising its strong commitment to research;
Achieved 5th place in the prestigious Healthcare 100 list. The influential list includes the top UK healthcare employers and is compiled by the Health Service Journal and Nursing Times. The award is open to all healthcare organisations across the UK from GP surgeries and primary care trusts to hospitals up and down the country;
Experienced no episodes of MRSA cross contamination, although SWLEOC does treat patients with MRSA;
Led the NHS on the shortest length of stay for patients needing hip and knee surgery and has performed over 3,000 hip and knee replacements - more than any other hospital in the UK;
SWLEOC 
is proud to be a member of the National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) - a membership organisation that leads on collaboration in orthopaedics. The NOA brings together orthopaedic providers across the country to share experiences and address shared challenges with an aim of delivering consistent, high quality care for patients nationwide.
The alliance is led by the below founder member organisations and is supported by many other providers of orthopaedic care across the UK:
· Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
· Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
· The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
· Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust in Stanmore
· Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Find out more about the NOA:
· Visit the NOA Website
· Follow @NOAOrthopaedics on Twitter
· Follow the NOA LinkedIn page
· Sign up to the NOA Newsletter
· Email info.noa@nhs.net
A Centre of Excellence
SWLEOC is recognised as a centre of excellence both nationally and internationally for orthopaedic surgery, research and development.
SWLEOC prides itself on being a leading Centre of Excellence providing patients with outstanding patient care. The purpose built orthopaedic centre boasts 6 state-of-the-art operating theatres and offers orthopaedic care to over 1.5 million people in South West London.
SWLEOC staff take great pride in what they do. Each member of staff ensures that they deliver the highest quality healthcare at all times. The Centre works as one and not as a collection of divided units and it continues to refine the assurance programme (Clinical Governance) that will enable the centre to further its success.
Infection Control
Within SWLEOC, we have a dedicated Infection Control team with ‘Champions’ who lead the way in the prevention and control of infection. However, we all take responsibility, including visitors and patients, to assist in reducing infection rates. All our staff are updated yearly in this vital area and we encourage hand washing or hand decontamination on entering our facilities for all staff, patients and visitors.
We have information boards in all the areas in SWLEOC to display latest news and information, initiatives and audit figures to give feedback to staff, patients and visitors alike. We also have information booklets on how to reduce infection, prevent cross-infection and the answers to frequently asked questions.
SWLEOC has a dedicated surgical site surveillance nurse who sees patients regularly throughout their stay to answer questions and educate patients with regards to wound care. We also have a dedicated telephone number for all our patients to telephone, once discharged, if they have any concerns about their wound or other aspects of their recovery.
We work closely with the microbiology team and screen all our patients for potential infection prior to admission. Some patients may need to take medication prior to their surgery, if an organism known to cause infection is identified, to reduce any potential complications. If this is required it will be raised by the Pre-assessment Nurse. If treatment is not an option, then special precautions to prevent cross-contamination will be put in place during your stay.
If you have any concerns during your stay regarding the prevention and control of infection, then useful contact names and numbers can be found on the information boards. Alternatively, ask any member of staff as the prevention and control of infection is a top priority for all of us.
Vision and Values
SWLEOC had a unique opportunity at its inception to create an environment that could differ from previous experience. Drawing on the knowledge and experience of the multi-professional team, SWLEOC sought to create an environment that put the patient first, while aiming to improve processes, cost and efficiency.
To improve the quality of life for patients by undertaking elective orthopaedic procedures in an environment that pursues excellence through learning and research.
Our Mission: To be the provider of choice for orthopaedic procedures for South London and South Coast.
- To be world leaders in orthopaedic care, using innovation, research and education to provide the highest quality, patient centred experience.
- Caring for patients, their families and staff
- Being a learning organisation; embracing the idea of continuous improvement
- Pursuing excellence, using measures and outcome tools to identify best practice and ensure the care we give is leading edge.
- To be transparent and open over our actions or omissions with patients and stakeholders.
Working in Partnership
Through the vision of their clinicians, Boards and executives, they have created a world class orthopaedic centre in a state-of the-art building, situated on the Epsom Hospital site. The partner trusts provide 50 consultant orthopaedic surgeons. Their work, in collaboration with that of SWLEOC's multidisciplinary team, ensures a gathering of wisdom and experience that allows SWLEOC to face any level of complexity or clinical challenge.