The Fortius Clinic in London has acquired a central London orthopedic hospital from the Schoen Clinic Group in a move to establish an international Centre of Excellence for the treatment of sports injuries and orthopedics. The acquisition, announced in March 2023, is subject to regulatory approvals.
Fortius Clinic is part of the Affidea Group, which operates over 330 clinics and outpatient and diagnostic centres in fifteen countries throughout Europe and treats more than 12 million patients every year.
Sports medicine & orthopedic specialists
The Fortius Clinic specialises in Sports Medicine and orthopedics, the medical speciality focusing on diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, ligaments and tendons). Its three London treatment centres are located in Marylebone, Wimbledon, and The City of London. The treatment of sports injuries is a major part of the Clinic’s work, as the Wimbledon clinic’s location close to the International Tennis Championship courts would suggest. However, routine orthopaedic procedures such as hip and knee joint replacement are also performed. Before the acquisition, the Fortius Clinic was already the largest private orthopedic centre in the UK.
Schoen Clinic is part of the Schoen Clinic Group, Germany’s fifth largest private hospital group. Schoen Clinic London, a dedicated super specialised orthopaedic hospital, is one of 16 hospitals and 30 day-clinics managed by the group in the UK and Germany.
Expanded services
The acquisition will allow the Fortius Clinic to expand its range of services.
Schoen Clinic London complements our existing Fortius facilities, providing us with the extra capacity, options, and flexibility to support our consultants and patients at a dedicated Centre of Excellence in the heart of London.
The Schoen Clinic London had a reputation for clinical excellence in orthopedic and spine treatments, according to Dr Mate Ivancic, CEO of the Schoen Clinic Group. He said: “Schoen Clinic London has won several awards and recognitions for its revolutionary orthopaedic and spine treatments, and we are exceptionally proud of the exemplary care and clinical outcomes the clinic has delivered.” He explained that the future UK focus for the Group would be on the expansion of their mental health treatment provided at the Schoen Clinic Chelsea and their eating disorder treatment at clinics in Birmingham and York.
Growing markets
Several dozen professional athletes are referred each week to the Fortius Clinic’s consultant foot and ankle surgeon, Professor James Calder, one of the clinic’s founders. These might include footballers from Real Madrid or AC Milan, Olympic athletes, ballet dancers or NBA basketball players.
The sports medicine market is expected to grow globally by about 4% annually, driven in part by new techniques such as minimally-invasive and robotic surgery. Orthopedics in general, particularly the major sector of joint replacement, are also growing markets due to both the ageing population worldwide and the increasing levels of obesity.
In 2017, approximately 22.3 million orthopedic surgery procedures were performed worldwide with the global market expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% in the coming years.
Furthermore, recent data from NHS England reveals a staggering 792,000 patients waiting for an elective orthopedic procedure on the NHS. The British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) describes the waiting list situation as being “serious and expected to get worse”, as over 269,000 patients are waiting for over 18 weeks.
