Pioneering Orthopaedic Consultant, who has been instrumental in helping local people live fulfilling lives, retires after 36 years
Mr. Stephen Young, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust’s (SWFT) longest serving Orthopaedic Consultant, is retiring in August this year.
Since starting at the Trust in 1989, Mr. Young is estimated to have performed 15,000 joint replacements over the last 36 years - and in the last three years alone, despite turning 70, he has done nearly 1,000 hip replacements.
Mr. Young had stepped down before the pandemic in preparation for retiring but returned to support the Trust with the elective recovery and Vanguard theatre, a mobile theatre implemented to increase surgical capacity. During his hugely successful career, he has been instrumental in building the Trust’s Orthopaedic Unit and setting up the South Warwickshire Accelerated Transfer Team (SWATT) service, which oversees the entire patient journey, from the time the patient is put on the waiting list for surgery until they are recovered in their own home. SWATT has helped the Trust become one of the most efficient Orthopaedic Units in the country - performing in the top five for length of stay for many years.
Mr. Young has been a mentor for many aspiring hip consultants and has led the fellowship program at SWFT for the past 10 years. He has also been a part of the DePuy (Johnson & Johnson) UK Faculty and has regularly presented, both nationally and internationally, on the topic of hip replacements.
The SKY Walk, a bi-annual community event in which former patients are invited to walk with the Orthopaedic Team, is named in his honour and raises money for the Trust’s Orthopaedic Unit.
Tamara Harries, General manager for Orthopaedics at SWFT, said: “Mr. Young is known as an eminent Orthopaedic Surgeon whose exceptional career has spanned decades here at the Trust, giving clinical leadership, pioneering surgical work and compassionate patient care. His vision, skill and dedication have benefitted thousands of patients, many of whom owe their mobility and quality of life to his expert hands. His retirement is a huge moment for the department, and we will miss him both personally and professionally.”
Glen Burley, Foundation Group Chief Executive, said: "Mr. Young has been an ever-present and hugely respected Consultant during my time here and long before. Thousands of patients have benefited from his skills, as have many staff and trainees. We will all miss his leadership and his calm, caring and efficient approach. He has played a very big part in helping to develop our local Orthodontic service as a national exemplar."