GMC Number: 3465899

Year of first qualification: 1990, Cambridge University and Guys Hospital

Specialty: Anaesthetics

Clinical interest: Bariatric anaesthesia, obstetric anaesthesia, Robotic urological anaesthesia

Telephone: 0117 414 5114

Dr Jill Homewood initially trained in general medicine and gained by membership examination before entering anaesthesia.

She was appointed to North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) in October 2007.

Dr Homewood has regular commitments in urological and upper GI anaesthesia. She is the lead for bariatric anaesthesia at NBT and is an obstetric anaesthetist. 

Her role includes arranging the departmental rota and job planning. 

Year of first qualification: 1987, London

Specialty: Anaesthetics

Clinical interest: Obstetric Anaesthesia

Secretary: Jill Payton

Telephone: 0117 414 5114

After training at St. Mary's, London and Reading, Dr Kathryn Holder joined Southmead Anaesthetics Department in 1997 as Consultant Anaesthetist with an interest in Acute Pain.

Dr Holder is the Trust Guardian for safe junior doctor hours.

GMC Number: 6027037

Year of first qualification: 2001, St Georges Hospital Medical School

Specialty: Medicine

Secretary: Lisa Williams

Telephone: 0117 414 1141

Dr John Ho trained in General and Acute Medicine in the South West, before being appointed to a consultant post at North Bristol NHS Trust in 2009.

Dr John Ho is an acute physician based on the acute medical unit at Southmead hospital. His special interest is venous thromboembolism (VTE) and is the directorate lead for thrombosis and member of the Trust thrombosis committee. He also follows up VTE patients in his weekly clinic.

He was the specialty lead for acute medicine between 2011 and 2015 and now focusing on leading the directorates clinical governance activities

The Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) is an acute stroke ward providing specialist services for people who have had a new suspected stroke.

On the HASU we provide:

• Thrombolysis treatment - treatment is started in the Emergency Department and you will have the rest of your treatment and monitoring on the HASU. 
• Acute monitoring up to the first 72 hours, as required. We may need to monitor your blood pressure, pulse, breathing rate, oxygen levels, conscious level, cardiac monitoring and temperature. 
• Investigations to identify the type of stroke you have had, and possible reasons for your stroke. We have close links with neuroradiology and neurosurgery departments to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment. 
• Early assessment and rehabilitation by therapists. We set some early goals for therapy which are usually related to feeding, sitting balance and mobility. 
• High risk Transient Ischaemic Attack(TIA ) patients may need to be admitted to the ward for monitoring. 

Some people come to North Bristol NHS Trust from other areas for their early treatment. If we are not your local hospital, you will be transferred to your own hospital as soon as you are ready for transfer. We will continue your care in the meantime. If your diagnosis is not a stroke or TIA you may need to be transferred to another more appropriate ward. On the HASU we will identify the most appropriate treatment plan ('pathway') for you.

• If you have had a small stroke without any resulting problems you might be able to be discharged from hospital quickly. You will need new medications. 
• If you have mild difficulties after a small stroke you might be able to be discharged quickly with support from the Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS), who can provide some rehabilitation at home. 
• If you need to stay in hospital for your treatment, you will transfer to the Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) for your continued care. You will be able to transfer from HASU to ASU when you become medically well enough.
• If you need ongoing rehabilitation and assessment in a hospital setting but no longer need the level of medical and nursing care provided on the HASU and ASU you will be transferred to the Stroke Sub Acute Rehabilitation Units (SSARUs) located at Weston General Hospital and South Bristol Community Hospital.

Unfortunately some strokes are devastating and we will ensure appropriate palliative end of life care on the ward if this is necessary.

GMC Number: 3475384

Year of first qualification: 1991, University of Sheffield

Specialty: Orthopaedics & Trauma

Clinical interest: Foot & Ankle Surgery & Trauma

Secretary: Rachel Powell

Telephone: 0117 414 1607

Mr Stephen Hepple previously trained in the Bristol area as well as in Dallas & Brisbane.

He has worked as a consultant at North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) for over 10 years.

He provides specialist/complex foot and ankle treatments including cartilage grafting and ankle replacements.

He is Treasurer of the British Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle society. He is also a member of the BOA and AO trauma teaching faculty.

Stroke is a medical emergency. Anyone suffering a new suspected stroke should be seen by a stroke specialist. Following specialist review, you may be admitted to the  Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU), or seen in the Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) clinic.

North Bristol NHS Trust is a comprehensive Stroke Centre providing acute stroke services for the population of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG), along with regional provision including Mechanical Thrombectomy to the wider Severn Region and beyond.

If you are admitted outside of the BNSSG area, after the emergency phase, your local hospital will usually continue your care in your local stroke unit.  

For people from the BNSSG area, we offer specialist inpatient aftercare. You will have specialist assessments on the HASU in the first 72 hours following your stroke and then may move to the Acute Stroke Unit (ASU) for further assessment and rehabilitation.

Following your initial days of treatment and rehabilitation, if you make a quick recovery, you may be able to be discharged home directly from the HASU or ASU. If you require a longer period of rehabilitation, assessment and/or support, you may be discharged either to your own home with support from the Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS) or, if you have additional needs you may be discharged to the Stroke Sub Acute Rehabilitation Units (SSARUs) located at Weston General Hospital and South Bristol Community Hospital.

Our consultants responsible for stroke are:

Dr James Dodd, Consultant Stroke Physician and Clinical Lead for Stroke

Dr Rose Bosnell, Consultant Neurologist, Stroke Physician

Dr Justin Pearson, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Philip Clatworthy, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Kanch Sharma, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Gauhar Malik, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Ben Grimshaw, Consultant Acute Medicine.

Dr Sandeep Buddha, Consultant Stroke Physician

Dr Elizabeth Mallam, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Mark Cossburn, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Barnaby Fiddes, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Luke Canham, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Christina Giavasi, Consultant Neurologist

Dr Paul Sellors, Consultant Stroke Physician and Geriatrician

Dr Sarah Beth McClelland, Consultant Stroke Physician and Geriatrician

Dr Sarah Kyle, Consultant Stroke Physician

We have a dedicated stroke trained team of Doctors, Nurses - including Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Advanced Clinical Practitioners - Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Dietitians, Pharmacists and Psychologists.  

Our ethos is to provide specialist, personalised stroke care in a timely and efficient manner. We work as a team with you and your family to plan the best care for your needs from initial treatment through to discharge from hospital.

Bristol M.E. Service is a specialist NHS Service for people with ME/CFS which has been offering evidence-based care since 2004.

We offer an outpatient service to people living in Bristol, North Somerset, and Gloucestershire. We can offer a combination of telephone, video and face-to-face contact, and can offer support individually in in groups. Part of our role is to advise and support other Health Care Professionals in the clinical management of people with ME/CFS.

The clinical team includes Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists and Dietitians, as we offer a multidisciplinary team approach. We do not currently employ a medic as there are no evidence-based medications for ME/CFS which cannot be prescribed by a GP. We maintain close links with other hospital specialties within North Bristol NHS Trust, at United Bristol and Weston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Gloucester Royal Hospital.

Find out more about the referral process including the checklist of required blood tests from this web page: https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/clinicians/services-referral/mechronic-fatigue-syndrome-clinicians

New eLearning on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

Healthcare professionals, carers and anyone interested in increasing their understanding of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) can now access a new eLearning resource. This e-learning programme has been developed in collaboration with patient groups and the Department of Health and Social Care and aims to enhance knowledge and support for individuals living with ME/CFS.

The training can be viewed by members of the public by following the advice here: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (MECFS) eLearning - elearning for healthcare

ME/CFS Research

The Bristol M.E. Service has ongoing involvement in research, and we have completed recruitment for the GEM Study which is asking how common two genetic diseases are, in adults treated for ME/CFS. If people with Pompe disease or LGMD2A are currently being treated in ME/CFS clinics, we wanted to find a way to identify these people and offer effective treatment. The study was open to all of our patients who had been newly assessed since August 2020 and given a diagnosis of ME/CFS, but recruitment has now closed and we are waiting for results to come back from the laboratory. To find out more about the study, visit https://www.bristol.ac.uk/academic-child-health/research/research/genetics/gemstudy/

In 2024, we published a study exploring the Chalder Fatigue Scale, which is also known as the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ). This is a Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) comprising 11 items designed to measure physical and cognitive fatigue. It is widely used with people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We worked with a number of our patients and found that the measure is currently difficult to understand, and does not relate well to the experiences of people with ME/CFS.

Exploring the content validity of the Chalder Fatigue Scale using cognitive interviewing in an ME/CFS population

In 2023, we published a study looking at two patient reported outcome measures which have been commonly used in ME/CFS Service, and you can read the paper which is available from this page: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21641846.2023.2175579?_ga=2.148057655.1043378513.1690194883-1879258931.1690102757

We are promoting the "I Would Be Here If I Could" UK-wide art project

Where would you go if you could? Tell the project about a place that is special to you. A place in the UK that you love, but due to ME/CFS or Long COVID you are often unable to get to.

The plan is for a large mirrorbox will appear at these special places. Visitors entering the box will hear a message left by the person who has chosen that place and are invited to reply by writing a postcard back.

This is an invitation to take part in a UK-wide art project to amplify the absence of people with ME/CFS and Long Covid.

What message will you leave?

To take part visit: About – I Would Be Here If I Could...

GMC Number: 4327262

Year of first qualification: 1996, University of Edinburgh

Specialty: Anaesthetics

Clinical interest: Neurosurgical Anaesthesia

Telephone: 0117 414 5114

GMC Number: 3185148

Year of first qualification: 1985, Spain

Specialty: Anaesthetics

Clinical interest: Intensive Care Medicine

Telephone: 0117 414 0870

Dr Deborah Harris trained in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine in the Trent and South West regions, followed by a year in France.

She has a keen interest in teaching and is a bilingual examiner for the European Diploma in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.

Year of first qualification: 1985

Specialty: Trauma & Orthopaedics

Clinical interest: Lower limb arthroplasty sports injury knee, foot and ankle

Secretary: Sue Jones

Telephone: 0117 414 1626

Mr William Harries has been a Consultant in trauma and Orthopaedics at North Bristol NHS Trust since 1997.

He has specialist interest in lower limb, particularly knee, foot & ankle.

He has in the past been Clinical Director of the musculoskeletal directorate.

He is President of BOFAS, the BOFAs liaison with NICE and the BOFAS representative on the CCGs writing care pathways.

He is also a member of the BOA & BASK and a member of the Scientific Committee (Chair for last three years).