Mr Andrew Port

Professional statement

With NHS waiting times for hip and knee replacements in Cumbria currently up to two years, Mr Andrew Port, a highly experienced consultant orthopaedic surgeon, is offering the people of Cumbria quicker access for their joint replacement surgery. Mr Port offers his patients individualised care pathways for hip and knee replacements, including partial knee replacements, complex and revision (redo) hip and knee replacements, for which he is a regional specialist. As a pioneer for robotic joint replacement surgery in the UK, his patients are now able to take advantage of the quicker recovery times, reduced pain and improved function, following robotic joint replacement surgery.

His current waiting time for a joint replacement privately is four weeks, and for and NHS patient is around six months. Mr Port has more than 30 years’ experience in orthopaedic surgery, during which time he has led and guided local, regional and national directives in improving the quality of orthopaedic surgery. He has been based at the BMI Woodlands hospital in Darlington for 22 years. He performs more than 500 hip and knee replacements a year, including 50 revision surgeries and 40 partial knee replacements. The “Getting It Right First Time” (GIRFT) Department of Health directive and the British Orthopaedic Association advocate that surgeons should perform a minimum of 15 of each of these procedures per year to maintain standards. Mr Port has one of the highest patient satisfaction outcomes and lowest complication rates nationally.

Being one of the first surgeons in the UK to introduce robotic hip and knee replacement surgery, Mr Port has performed more than 300 robotic-assisted hip and knee replacements using the Stryker Mako Robotics system. From his experience he explains: “The technology combines 3D planning with accurate intra-operative reconstruction of the hip or knee replacement. Following robotic surgery, patients are reporting less pain, quicker recovery times and greater satisfaction rates” The BMI Woodlands Hospital, in Darlington, is the only hospital in the northern region that offers access to augmented surgical assistance with the Stryker Mako Robotics system. Mr Port is currently Chair of the Surgical Collaborative at South Tees NHS Trust, incorporating The James Cook University Hospital and the Friarage Hospital. He leads on the strategy to standardise the delivery and quality of orthopaedic surgery over the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire.