A Kent surgical hub becoming known for innovative approaches has performed an unprecedented 12 total hip replacements in a day, with a theatre team led by just one consultant.

The Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre opened in September 2024 at Maidstone Hospital and has already helped more than 1,300 patients have life-changing surgery on bones, joints and muscles.

The state-of-the-art theatre complex has three operating theatres and uses a highly efficient and safe approach which gives the surgeon as much time as possible to operate.

By minimising turnaround time between operations, the centre can treat more patients, more quickly.

Mr Syed S. Ahmed, one of the centre’s consultant orthopaedic surgeons, performs more hip replacements each year than any other UK surgeon. This is according to the National Joint Registry which monitors the performance of joint replacement operations across the country to improve outcomes for patients.

He has previously performed seven hip replacements in a single operating theatre, and 10 hip replacements moving between patients across two of the centre’s three open-plan operating theatres.

The team in the Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre have now taken this success a step further to benefit even more patients, as Mr Ahmed led a team who performed 12 hip replacements across two parallel operating theatres in a normal day.

In a standard operating list, each patient is given their anaesthetic, has their operation and moves to recovery, before another patient is moved into theatre. This means there is time between each patient when the surgeon is not operating.

With parallel lists, there is a staggered approach between patients. Two operating theatres and two surgical teams mean the surgeon can move from one patient to another without being delayed by the turnaround between cases. This allows many more operations to be done in a single day.

Mr Lee David, Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon and Clinical Director for Trauma and Orthopaedics said: “One of the major advantages of the new centre is its open plan theatre layout. It gives us flexibility in how we use the theatre space to maximise our capacity and help us treat more patients, more efficiently, while maintaining the highest standards of care and safety.”

So far, the KMOC team have performed eight high intensity theatre lists for hip replacements and similar lists have been led by consultant hand surgeon, Mr James Nicholl.

Mr Ahmed has previously compared the centre’s surgical team – led by Theatre Manager, Susan Jounus – to a Formula 1 pit crew who are extremely well-trained and work seamlessly together as a team.

He said: “It is a tremendous team effort! There was a buzz from the moment I entered the building in the morning, and a sense we were going to achieve something not done before. The reception team and ward staff had all patients admitted and ready by 7.30am and the anaesthetic and surgical theatre teams were incredible, helping me move between theatres without any delays. As a result of the team’s skill and hard work, 12 patients have had joint replacement surgery which will significantly improve their quality of life. I am delighted and grateful to everyone who helped make the day a success”.