Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre has appointed consultant orthopaedic consultant Zahid Saeed to its surgical team.

Mr Saeed's appointment brings the total number of orthopaedic consultant surgeons at the hospital to eight.

The hospital is the first of its kind to be rated as Outstanding across the board by the Care Quality Commission.

The national Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) reported by the Health and Social Care Information Centre identified the hospital as top in the country for hip replacements, and in the top five per cent for knee replacements.

Mr Saeed comes to Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre from the Royal Free Hospital in London.

He has a particular interest in hip and knee surgery, total knee replacement surgery, total hip replacement surgery, arthroscopic surgery and sports injuries.

He has received a number of prestigious academic awards including the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFFORT) travelling fellowship in France and Germany.

He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the British Orthopaedic Association and the British Hip Society.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Mr Saeed is devoted to training and research. He has contributed to numerous book chapters in the Textbooks of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, and his research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (USA).

His research work has also been presented at annual meetings of international organisations including the American Academy of Orthopaedic surgeons (AAOS) in Las Vegas, the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) in Manchester, the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) in Geneva, and Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatology (SICOT), in Montreal.

Connie Stocker, interim hospital director at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, said: "We are delighted to welcome Zahid to our team.

"His skills, knowledge and expertise will enhance still further our reputation for outstanding orthopaedic surgery and care."

A wide range of orthopaedic procedures are available at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, and there are options available for patients to access care: via the NHS, with typically shorter waiting times; self-pay, with costs up to 30 per cent cheaper than local private hospitals, and; private medical insurance, through a selection of insurance providers.

More information about the range of procedures and choices for access to care are available from the hospital's website via the red button below.