Mr Tom Symes

Professional statement

Mr Tom Symes is a highly respected consultant orthopaedic surgeon based in Hull and East Yorkshire. He specialises in total hip and knee replacement, partial knee replacement and computer navigated knee replacement. He is also renowned for his expertise in enhanced recovery and day case hip and knee replacement, as well as muscle sparing total hip replacement (SPAIRE approach).

Mr Symes qualified in medicine from the University of Leeds in 1999 before pursuing further training in orthopaedics. He attained membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2003 and later undertook a Masters in evidence-based orthopaedics at the University of Teesside. In 2010, Mr Symes was awarded fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons’ trauma and orthopaedics section. He additionally completed an arthroplasty fellowship at the esteemed Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Glasgow. He was appointed as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust in 2011, where he continues to serve as clinical lead for orthopaedics, lead for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and is the revision hip lead for the hospital.

More recently he has been leading the Orthopaedic Network for the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB. This group aims to improve care for patients with musculoskeletal problems across the region. He is passionate about improving the health of patients while they wait for surgery to give them the best outcome.

He has been the leading surgeon in the development of the day case joint replacement pathway at the Spire Hospital and in the last year over 30 of Mr Symes’ patients have been discharged on the same day as their hip or knee replacement. The pathway encompasses all the latest research around preoperative preparation, intraoperative muscle sparing techniques, postoperative multi modal pain relief and early mobilisation.

In the last year he has refined a muscle sparing Total Hip replacement technique (SPAIRE) that reduces the chance of hip dislocation after surgery and allows patients to return to full activity without any restrictions. This is particular attractive to young patients who wish to return to sports
He sees private patients at Spire Hull and East Riding Hospital.

Additional to his clinical responsibilities, Mr Symes is an honorary senior lecturer at the Hull York Medical School and trains medical students and junior doctors. He has published a number of academic articles which appear in peer reviewed journals and has also authored chapters in leading orthopaedic textbooks. He is regular speaker at national meetings in the field of orthopaedics, particularly on the topic of enhanced recovery. Mr Symes is also a respected orthopaedic medicolegal expert.