Home for Tea After Major Surgery at Ealing Hospital

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Fast-track pathway means quick discharge for hip and knee replacements

Ali Zain Naqvi saw the benefits of the approach while working in Canada. Picture: LNWH

June 22, 2026

Patients at Ealing Hospital could soon be heading home the same day as their hip or knee replacement, thanks to a new fast-track surgery pathway being rolled out across the region.

The North-West Elective Orthopaedic Centre (EOC), which treats patients from nine hospitals including Ealing, has begun offering same-day discharge for major joint operations — a process that would have kept patients in hospital for up to a week just a decade ago.

The initiative is being led by orthopaedic surgeon Ali Zain Naqvi, who saw the benefits of day-case joint replacement while working in Canada. He later took a team to Nottingham, where same-day surgery is already well established, before trialling the approach with his own patients at Hillingdon.

The results, he says, speak for themselves.

“The hospital is helping reduce length of stay, freeing up beds and reducing waiting lists,” Naqvi explained. “I know it can sound a bit daunting, but once the surgery is done patients shouldn’t be unduly concerned. We make sure recovery at home is seamless and patients are contacted regularly.”

So far, Naqvi and colleagues have completed 15–20 fast-track discharges, with patients supported by a combination of self-administered pain relief and regular physiotherapy. The approach relies on close coordination between surgical, anaesthetic, physiotherapy and pharmacy teams to ensure patients are safe to return home within hours.

One recent case — an 83-year-old who underwent a partial knee replacement — was back home “in time for tea”.

The EOC, a purpose-built centre of excellence for routine bone and joint surgery, is already helping reduce waiting times across the region, with fewer cancellations and quicker access to treatment. Naqvi says the fastest turnaround he has seen from first consultation to surgery is just six weeks.

“I don’t think anyone would argue with that,” he added.

With the new pathway now available to patients across north-west London, including Ealing, the NHS hopes same-day joint replacement could soon become the norm rather than the exception.

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