PRIVATE hip and knee surgery at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton is to be expanded, following the appointment of another orthopaedic consultant surgeon.

Oliver Gosling has joined the team at the hospital’s Parkside Unit, which offers the option of private surgery, with all profits going back to the NHS. Mr Gosling has been working as a consultant for four years.

Many of the 6.5 million people currently on the NHS waiting list are waiting for hip and knee replacements.

Sarah Porter, business manager at Parkside, said: “Now we will be able to offer more local surgery options for patients.

“Of course people with chronic hip and knee pain want to get an operation quickly, but it is also extremely important that they go to the right place at the right time.

“At Parkside we have a philosophy of ‘private experience with NHS peace of mind’ and we think that is what sets us apart from other private hospitals.”

Mr Gosling completed his undergraduate medical training in Bristol in 2008.

As a keen medical educator, he taught anatomy at Bristol University before undertaking his core surgical training at Musgrove Park Hospital.

He completed his higher surgical training, including a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education, on the Bristol rotation in 2019.

He also undertook a specialist overseas fellowship under Professor Andrew Bucknill at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Here he developed his expertise in both primary and revision hip and knee replacement, including the use of robotics and computerised navigation.

Mr Gosling is also a departmental lead for audit (ensuring quality of work) and compliance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence joint replacement guidelines.

He said: “I am delighted now to be working with the great team at Parkside, further developing orthopaedic surgery here.”