Hip replacement surgery at Spire Alexandra Hospital

At Spire Alexandra, we offer a choice of expert consultants who are committed to healthcare excellence. You can expect to receive treatment without the wait and expert aftercare that’s personalised to you from our highly rated nursing staff. Our facilities are clean and modern with all the comfort and convenience you’d expect at home.

At Spire Alexandra, our consultants have wide experience in performing hip replacement surgery in our clean, modern facilities. Some of our consultants offer minimally invasive hip replacement – this usually means a faster recovery time while still achieving the same outcomes.

We also have two laminar flow operating theatres, which regulate air flow to minimise the risk of infection.

Getting here

You'll find us approximately eight miles from Maidstone and five miles from Chatham. The nearest railway station is Chatham, a 10 minute taxi journey away. We have free parking available for you and your visitors.

Your consultations

Before your treatment, you’ll meet your consultant in one of our 13 consultation rooms. All our rooms are accessible, so there’s no need to worry if walking is difficult for you. They’ll ask about your health, symptoms and answer any questions you may have.

If you haven’t been diagnosed yet, they may recommend our diagnostic tests and scans to help them assess your hip in more detail. Both your initial consultation and tests at this stage are charged separately to the cost of any treatment needed.

If you decide to go ahead with treatment, your consultant will advise you about:

• What your personalised treatment and care plan will involve
• Different types of prosthetic joints available
• Anaesthetic options
• Potential risks and complications
• Things you can do to help your recovery

On the day of your procedure, our ward staff will show you to one of our 25 private rooms and get you settled in. You’ll have all the comforts and conveniences you’d expect to find in your own home, including:

• TV
• Private bathroom
• Window
• Wardrobe
• Armchair

You should be with us for around three to five days.

You’ll meet your consultant and surgical team who’ll prepare you for your operation. If you’ve come with a friend or family member, they’re welcome to wait in our lounge or restaurant while you have your operation.

Anaesthetic options

You’ll probably have a general anaesthetic, so you’ll be completely asleep. However, sometimes it’s preferable or necessary to have a spinal or epidural anaesthetic, where you’re numb from the waist down. If so, your anaesthetist can also give you sedatives to help you relax during the operation.

During your operation

Your consultant will make the necessary incisions and begin to remove worn or damaged areas of your hip joint. They’ll then fit your new hip and close your incisions. The operation should take between an hour and an hour and a half.

Once your operation is finished, you’ll be taken back to your private room to start your recovery. You may feel some discomfort and swelling at first, which is completely normal. We’ll give you pain relief to help you and make sure you’re comfortable.

One of our physiotherapists will get you walking again and give you some exercises you should do throughout your recovery to help you get the most from your operation.

Although everybody’s different and you should always follow your consultant’s advice, here’s a typical recovery timeline for hip replacement: