UK Healthcare Pavilion: Fortius Clinic

The UK Healthcare Pavilion has launched, showcasing the UK’s world-class life sciences and healthcare sector. The Howard de Walden Estate is thrilled to partner with this unique new platform, which features some of our renowned hospitals, consultant clinics and specialists here within the world-famous Harley Street Medical Area (HSMA). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be spotlighting some of these organisations as part of our new Q&A series.

This week, we hear from Fortius Clinic, a leading orthopaedic and sports medicine group with over 100 expert specialists across multiple locations in London.

Give us an overview of Fortius Clinic. What do you specialise in?
Fortius Clinic is the UK’s largest single orthopaedic musculoskeletal (MSK) group. We were founded in 2009 by leading consultants with a shared vision to create a worldwide centre of excellence in orthopaedics and MSK medicine. Our organisation specialises solely in orthopaedics, MSK and sports medicine, allowing us to be truly exceptional at what we do.

We have a multidisciplinary approach with over 100 expert specialists, including surgeons, physicians, rheumatologists and radiologists, across London and the UK. We diagnose and treat thousands of patients every year from elite and amateur athletes to patients with chronic arthritis and other common orthopaedic conditions.

Why are you considered a leading expert when it comes to sports injuries?
We have specialist consultants with extensive knowledge and experience in sports and exercise medicine, who are at the forefront of their fields in providing expert care for athletes. This includes high-performing elite athletes, recreational amateur athletes and people with other conditions related to sport.

Our philosophy is to provide a holistic model of care to optimise health, wellbeing and human performance. To ensure the best outcomes for all patients, we work closely with a wide network of health professionals, including physiotherapists, physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists, strength and conditioning trainers, nutritionists and biomechanists, in addition to surgical and radiology colleagues at Fortius.

Many of our consultants hold official positions in elite sport, including links to Premier League football teams, the Lawn Tennis Association and the England women’s football team, to name a few. Fortius is accredited as a FIFA Centre of Excellence, which involves a strict selection process. This accreditation recognises Fortius’s expertise and commitment to football medicine, making it a centre of choice for many players, internationally and nationally.

Tell us a bit about your facilities.
Fortius currently has over 100 expert specialists across multiple locations in London and beyond. Our Marylebone outpatient and diagnostic clinic opened at 17 Fitzhardinge Street in 2011. The clinic has nine consulting rooms, private waiting areas on each floor, treatment rooms and diagnostic imaging including MRI, X-ray and ultrasound. It has become the clinic of choice for many of the UK’s elite sports professionals.

In November 2016, Fortius opened its surgical centre in Marylebone. The centre is fully equipped for orthopaedic and pain procedures and has three theatres and 12 day-case beds. Last year we installed pioneering robotic technology for performing joint replacements.

Fortius has two other outpatient and diagnostic clinics in the City and Wimbledon and a partnership arrangement with Cromwell Hospital to undertake joint replacements. We offer world-class treatment, and we rank among the top 20 orthopaedic groups in the world. Fortius was rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission in 2019 in recognition of its holistic and compassionate care in orthopaedic and MSK treatment.

What would you say are the benefits of being located in the Harley Street Medical Area
The HSMA has a great reputation for medical excellence in the UK and abroad and also has a rich medical history that gives the impression of consistency, quality and longevity. It is renowned as a vibrant hub of London’s medical community – and its most famous medical district – with access to top specialists in every medical specialty and within a small area, which makes it easier to share expertise and ideas. It is also a very convenient location for our patients, specialists and staff, as easy transport links make it incredibly accessible from all areas.

How has innovative technology improved patient outcomes?
Fortius strives to consistently improve its practices, so we are constantly evaluating and adopting new techniques. Our specialists use minimally invasive surgery and arthroscopic techniques to treat patients who are suitable for this type of treatment.

One aspect of this is highly advanced robotic technology, which has transformed the way hip and knee joint replacement surgery is performed and revolutionised the accuracy of certain operations. This state-of-the-art technology allows our surgeons to have a more predictable surgical experience and increased accuracy.

The Stryker Mako system facilitates higher level alignment and positioning during surgery, resulting in shorter recovery times and reduced post-operative pain, helping patients get back to normal activities faster. For patients, it means improved quality of care.

What clinical research have specialists at Fortius Clinic been involved in?
Many of our specialists are involved in clinical research to develop knowledge for improved treatments and to build the evidence for safe and effective new approaches. Examples include a study by one of our surgeons into primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in elite sports. This research determined the return-to-play rate, time taken to return post-surgery and the risk of recurring injury to sportspeople who have an ACL rupture. The research helps surgeons and allied healthcare professionals tailor treatment to the individual athlete and provides information to patients as to when they can return to their sport and at what level.

Another study investigated the high return-to-play rate following treatment of multiple ligament knee injuries with modern surgical techniques in elite athletes. This research enables players, their teams and medical staff to fully understand the outcomes of their surgery, which was historically considered career-ending.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the UK, there was a rapid realisation that sports needed to get back up and running for the mental health of the nation and that elite sports should return as early as possible as long as it was safe. Elite sport returned in May last year and has carried on under strict guidelines. Linked to this, there has been some recent research about sports equipment which our consultant orthopaedic surgeon Professor James Calder was involved in. The research looked at live virus experiments to assess whether there was any danger in transmitting the COVID-19 virus via sports equipment.

Prof James Calder discusses more about pioneering research into the transmission of the COVID-19 virus and what it has meant for the world of sports in this short video: