Mr Tom Symes

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 using the 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 master’s degree in evidence-based orthopaedics at the University of Teesside.

In 2010, Mr Symes was awarded fellowship of the trauma and orthopaedics section of the Royal College of Surgeons. 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 revision hip lead for the hospital.

More recently, he has been leading the Orthopaedic Network for the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. This group aims to improve care for patients with musculoskeletal conditions across the region. He is passionate about improving patients’ health while they wait for surgery, helping them to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Mr Symes has been the leading surgeon in the development of the day-case joint replacement pathway at Spire Hull and East Riding Hospital. In the last year, more than 30 of his patients have been discharged on the same day as their hip or knee replacement. The pathway encompasses the latest research in preoperative preparation, intraoperative muscle-sparing techniques, postoperative multimodal pain relief and early mobilisation.

Over the last year, he has refined a muscle-sparing total hip replacement technique known as SPAIRE. This technique reduces the risk of hip dislocation following surgery and allows patients to return to full activity without restrictions. It is particularly attractive to younger patients who wish to return to sport.

He sees private patients at Spire Hull and East Riding Hospital.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Mr Symes is an honorary senior lecturer at Hull York Medical School, where he trains medical students and junior doctors. He has published a number of academic articles in peer-reviewed journals and has authored chapters in leading orthopaedic textbooks.

He is a regular speaker at national orthopaedic meetings, particularly on the topic of enhanced recovery. Mr Symes is also a respected orthopaedic medicolegal expert.