Peter Birch

I am a UK Fellowship trained consultant orthopaedic surgeon with an interest in lower limb primary hip and knee and revision knee arthroplasty. I also have a lower limb trauma background and other general orthopaedics.

My background is that I completed all my education, including medical, surgical, and formal orthopaedic training in the United Kingdom. During my surgical training I was awarded a The Penrose May prize by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 

My specialist training was in the Mid-Trent Specialist Registrar Rotation (Nottingham) and after completion in 2002 my Specialist Advisory Committee (SAC) approved Complex Knee Surgery Fellowship year 2002-2003.

Other fellowship prizes were to Sweden to learn techniques in cartilage preservation and restoration, and in 2004 to the USA for a multi-centre 4-month fellowship in complex revision knee surgery (including infection), minimally invasive and computer navigation.

The reasons for looking to join the team in Abu Dhabi is that I have wanted to return to Abu Dhabi for some time. After 5 years working in New Zealand, I am aware of the need for flexibility and teamwork to achieve the best for our patients and co-workers. I know the region and have obviously worked there in the past and therefore I am aware of the benefits of working in the area. I of course understand that circumstances will be different, but all my qualifications have been verified by Dataflow.

My consultant career path is as follows:

I was appointed as a consultant orthopaedic and adult reconstruction surgeon in September 2003.

This was a new position for a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon working in Cheltenham, part of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a large Trust serving a population of 600,000 in Gloucestershire and South Worcestershire. Over the subsequent 10 years, I established my practice in the region, and helped found the Cheltenham Knee Unit and instigate an Acute Knee Service at the Cheltenham General Hospital. 

My elective experience had an emphasis on lower-limb hip and knee arthroplasty, with a special interest in complex primary and revision knee replacements, the treatment of periprosthetic fractures around the knee and the management of prosthetic joint infection, collaborating closely with units in Oxford, Bristol, and Cardiff. 

For the 10 years in Cheltenham, I was lead surgeon for tender negotiations for both trauma and elective equipment tenders and lead for audit, morbidity and mortality and complaints. I was an educational supervisor and an appraiser for annual consultant reviews and revalidation.

In 2013 I was approached by SEHA and Mafraq Hospital with an opportunity join a new hospital being built in Abu Dhabi. There was a new team of surgeons, physiotherapists and allied staff from the UK and Europe being formed to create a “Centre of Excellence.” The trauma experience in the UAE was intense and exposed me to problems and injuries that are not commonly seen with any regularity in the UK, or indeed many Western Counties. I have treated war related and terrorist injuries, as well as extreme examples of industrial and motor vehicle accidents. We saw on a near daily basis multiple injuries as most drivers and occupants are unrestrained, whilst the number of falls and crush injuries from industrial sites is remarkable. We also dealt with a population in whom osteoporosis and diabetes rates are around 70-80% of the population. 

Because of various issues with the building and changes in management in SEHA, the new hospital did not open when expected. In 2018, because of the delayed opening, I felt a new challenge would be appropriate, so I accepted a role as Head of Department in Gisborne which at that time was a struggling hospital in an area of need in New Zealand. I was keen to use my clinical skills and experience in hip and knee arthroplasty, and to make best use my of expertise in the management of complex knee revision, including prosthetic joint infection. I also wanted to improve the efficiency and management of fractures and to increase the awareness of current best practice in the management of early arthritis and the young arthritic knee.

I mostly enjoyed my time in Gisborne, and felt I contributed to the improvement of the department. However, there were many challenges caused by the covid pandemic, and the orthopaedic department withstood the worst of reorganisation of the hospital, and we found it difficult to provide an elective arthroplasty service. There were also local and regional issues caused by repeated natural disasters in 2022-2023 and finally the hospital had problems with retention of staff, and disputes with the anaesthetic department. This meant for nearly a year, all arthroplasty and indeed most elective surgery was severely restricted.

It was for these, and personal reasons to do with my family at home, that I felt it necessary to leave New Zealand.

I am currently in a remarkably busy full-time locum post in Truro, UK, providing trauma and lower-limb arthroplasty support to try to reduce waiting lists.

Truro has one of the busiest trauma departments in the UK, serving a population of 470,000 and treats the most neck of femur and fragility fractures in the UK. 

Over 20 years of experience in general orthopaedics and trauma with a special interest in knee arthroplasty, early arthritis surgery and revision knee

UK Fellowship trained

Fellow of Royal College of surgeons in trauma and orthopaedics

CCST- UK

Member of British Hip Society, British Association for Surgery of the Knee (BASK) New Zealand Orthopaedic Association