Mr Andy Hacker

I am a Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon with a private practice at Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital in the East of England and Spire Harpenden Hospital in the outer London area.  With over 15 years' consultant experience, my practice is dedicated exclusively to hand, wrist and peripheral nerve conditions.  Thumb base arthritis is one of my key areas of expertise, with a national reputation for managing this condition and performing thumb joint replacement surgery.

Over the past seven years I have undertaken an average of 40 thumb joint replacements each year using the MAÏA™ thumb joint replacement system, with which I have extensive experience.

Principal treatments that I also carry out at Spire Healthcare include finger joint replacement and fusion, complex hand and wrist reconstruction, hand and wrist fracture surgery, tendon surgery, trigger finger release, carpal tunnel decompression, Dupuytren's disease surgery and steroid injections.

Other conditions I assess and treat include ganglion cysts (and other hand and wrist mass removal), wrist arthritis, de Quervain's disease, cubital tunnel syndrome, nerve compression syndromes, scaphoid fractures and sports injuries to the hand and wrist.

My philosophy is to recommend surgery only when it is likely to provide a meaningful improvement in pain, function and quality of life. I aim to help patients return to the things that matter most to them, whether that is playing a musical instrument, working with their hands, or simply picking up their grandchildren without pain. Wherever possible, I perform procedures as day-case surgery under local anaesthetic or regional nerve block and I work closely with specialist hand therapists and physiotherapists to optimise every patient's recovery.

I qualified from Newcastle Medical School in 1999 and completed higher surgical training on the South West Thames Orthopaedic Rotation, one of the UK's leading orthopaedic training programmes, including a post at St George's Hospital. I subsequently completed an advanced Hand and Wrist Surgery Fellowship at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.  In 2011 I was appointed as a substantive Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon at Milton Keynes University Hospital, where I have held a busy NHS practice alongside my private work ever since.

I have published peer-reviewed research in hand surgery and wrist trauma and have presented invited lectures and instructional courses at national and international meetings.

Research profile ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4635-9242

I serve on the Oxford Orthopaedic Deanery ARCP panel as both Educational and Clinical Supervisor for orthopaedic trainees and actively teach resident doctors and medical students from Oxford and Buckinghamshire Medical School. I also teach thumb joint replacement surgery to fellow surgeons on specialist training courses several times each year, reflecting my commitment to advancing standards in hand surgery beyond my own practice.