A team of orthopaedic surgeons have set up a website so people undergoing hip and knee replacements can get impartial advice.

Around 160,000 replacements are carried out each year but this number is expected to treble over the next 20 years. Research shows that people need this surgery at an ever younger age.

Most patients in England, who are referred to a specialist, can now choose where they receive treatment. However, information online about hip and knee replacements is fragmented and often not impartial. The Hip and Knee Network lets people search for a surgeon and even choose a hospital from the 400 in the UK that carry out this surgery.

Steve Young, one of the consultant orthopaedic surgeons behind the website, said: “We felt that patients should be better informed. There is a lot of information out there but it's either too fragmented or created by people with a vested interest in a particular product or service."

For the younger and more active patients the likelihood is that their replacement will wear out during their life time so they will need the surgery again, which is a more difficult procedure, and the replacement may not last as long as the original.

The site, therefore, gives access to Government data on the quality and take-up of all hip and knee implants on the market. Patients can also send questions to a panel of surgeons and even take a test to assess the likelihood of surgery.

The Hip and Knee Network is part-funded by the EU, and it is the first time that this data has been presented in an easily accessible way to the public.

Dr Young said: “We designed the site to present all the information in a straightforward, unbiased, ethical way, which will support and complement the work done by surgeons and physiotherapists with hip and knee replacement patients.”

The site is completely independent of the NHS, private medicine and implant suppliers. All information on the site is produced or vetted by a panel of specialist orthopaedic surgeons.

There is a secure area for orthopaedic surgeons to network and communicate with each other in private in addition to forums to enable professional debate.

Mr Jon Waite, the third member of the surgeon panel, said: “It's important to understand that this site is not just about the panel involved so far, we are inviting all of our surgical colleagues to get involved and contribute to the debate and discussion.

"It should become a powerful resource and a platform for new ways of interaction between patients and surgeons.”