Consultant Plastic Surgeons at NBT

Miss Rachel Clancy

Mr Thomas Chapman

Miss Giulia Colavitti

Mr Thomas Wright

Consultant Oncologists at UHBW

Dr Gareth Ayre

Dr Adam Dangoor

Dr Timothy Spencer

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Christine Millman

Rebecca Peach

Sally Lovell

Consultant Radiologists

Dr Brathanban (Ben) Rajayogeswaran

Dr Edward Walton

Extended Core Members North Bristol NHS Trust (Urology)

Mr Salah Albuhessi

Mr Ahmed Mahrous

University Hospital Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (Thoracics)

Miss Eveline Internullo

Mr Doug West

Consultant Histopathologists

Dr Naomi Carson

Dr Francesca Maggiani

Dr Demetris Poyiatzis

Sarcoma Cancer Support Worker

Hannah Hilton

Patient Pathway Coordinators

Charlotte Brown (Plastic Surgery)

Lisa Groves (Plastic Surgery)

Gemma Flook (Urology)

MDT Coordinator

Amy Dixon

The following are useful cancer related web sites. It is not an exhaustive list but a guide.

A charity offering an holistic approach to cancer sufferers: www.pennybrohncancercare.org  

PAC provides free, professional counselling to anyone affected or bereaved by cancer or other life threatening illness. Positive Action On Cancer

Information and support from this UK organization which addresses many of the types of tumors Macmillan Cancer 

Care & Support for People Living with a Terminal Illness www.mariecurie.org.uk

We give carers expert advice, information and support. We campaign and innovate to find better ways to reach and support carers. www.carersuk.org

Get advice or information about a claim you’ve already made for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Personal Independence Payment. disability-benefits-helpline

Citizens Advice Bureau - Bristol Free, confidential, impartial, independent advice on many problems. Citizens Advice Bureaux

Quit now. Home · Why Quit? Help and advice · Success stories  www.smokefree.nhs.uk

At Cancer Research UK we pioneer research to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. Cancer Research UK

Wessex Cancer Trust provides local support for people living with or affected by cancer, irrespective of their age. http://wessexcancer.org.uk/

UK charity provides patient support. Includes information, online discussion forums, donation procedures and contact details. Breast Cancer Care

Facts about lymphoma - causes, signs and symptoms of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma plus information about treatment and support. Lymphoma Association

Our charity is dedicated to researching the causes and spread of Prostate Cancer as well as research into potential treatments and therapies. Prostate Cancer Charity

Minority Cancer Awareness Improving access to cancer information and support to black and minority ethnic communities. Cancer Equality

We're dedicated to saving lives by raising awareness of bowel cancer and providing practical support and advice.Bowel Cancer UK

Practical and emotional support for patients and all those affected by lung cancer and smoking. Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

Advice, support, information and networking for people affected by rare and less common cancers or their families and friends. Rarer Cancers Forum

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust provides support to women affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities. Jo' s Cervical Cancer Trust

British Association of Spine Surgeons, visit www.spinesurgeons.ac.uk

British Scoliosis Society, visit www.britscoliosissoc.org.uk

Eurospine, visit www.eurospine.org

The Scoliosis Research Society, visit www.srs.org

AO Spine, visit www.aospine.org

The Bristol Neurological & Spinal Unit provides a Clinical Fellowship for up to one year for a senior surgical trainee wishing to pursue a career in spinal surgery. 

Previous Spinal Fellows have come from either a Neurosurgical or Orthopaedic background. 

There are also opportunities for both UK and international fellows to visit the respective departments of Orthopaedics or Neurosurgery to gain further experience within these sub-specialties. 

For further information regarding the Senior Clinical Spinal Fellowship please contact Mr John Hutchinson Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon on Mr Nitin Patel.

There are 13 Consultant Neurosurgeons and 4 Orthopaedic Spinal surgeons who provide a comprehensive spinal service for common elective spinal conditions including surgery for lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis and cervical disc conditions.

All the surgeons are core competent in the management of acute spinal emergencies including spinal trauma and spinal cord compression. 

All neurosurgeons undertake a minimum of 2 years training in spinal surgery and apply all their intracranial microsurgical skills to the operations required for spinal pathologies; furthermore within each area there are is further specialisation meaning the department of Neurological and Spinal surgery at North Bristol NHS Trust is uniquely placed within the South-West to provide a global spinal service ranging from microsurgical management of spinal vascular conditions such as arteriovenous malformation to extensive spinal reconstruction.

Surgeons only undertake procedures in which they are proven competent within their sub-specialist agreed areas. An advantages of having a multi-disciplinary approach to managing spinal conditions is that for low volume, rare conditions appropriate experts can be involved in the management of those conditions.

• Spinal Trauma
• Spinal Tumours
• Adult and Paediatric Scoliosis
• Congenital Spinal Pathology
• Spinal vascular pathology
• Inflammatory spinal conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Degenerative Cervical and Lumbar deformity
• Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty
• Intradural Micro-surgery
• Spinal Cord Stimulation for Spinal Pain

Consultant Neurosurgeons
Mr Richard Nelson
Mr David Sandeman
Mr Ian Pople
Professor Steven Gill
Mr George Malcolm
Mr Nitin Patel
Mr David Porter
Mr Michael Carter
Mr Nik Patel
Mr Richard Edwards
Mr Venkat Iyer
Mr Crispin Wigfield
Mr Greg Fellows

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons
Mr Ian Nelson
Mr John Hutchinson
Mr Ian Harding
Mr Mike Katsihimas
Mr Steve Morris

Interventional Spinal Radiologists
Dr Mark Cobby
Dr Verka Beric
Dr Marcus Bradley

Pain Managment Clinic
Dr Cathy Stannard
Dr Gareth Greenslade
Dr Murli Krishna
Dr Sara Love-Jones
Dr Janine Mendham

Extended Scope Physiotherapy Practitioners
Dr Keith Greenfield, PhD
Mr Quentin Alsop
Mr Steven Bunce

Spinal Nurse Practitioners
Anita Philip
Laura Hughes
Diana Lavelle

The Bristol Neurological & Spinal Unit has a strong reputation for innovation and groundbreaking research in relation to spinal conditions. Examples of clinical research include:

•  Development and evaluation of new instrumentation to treat paediatric spinal deformity
• Motion preserving spinal technologies such as cervical disc replacements
• Image guided spinal surgery
• Minimally invasive spinal surgery
• Neuro-modulation for chronic pain 
• Investigations into the causes of adult onset spinal deformity

The Bristol Neurological & Spinal Unit also has strong research links with the University of Bristol Department of Anatomy, University of the West of England, the University of Bath Department of Biomechanical Engineering, as well as close links with the Bristol Institute of Clinical Neurosciences.

A comprehensive range of spinal interventions can be undertaken at the Bristol Spinal Unit:

• Emergency spinal surgery for spinal trauma, cauda equina syndrome and tumours
• Intradural spinal micro-neurosurgery
• Diagnostic and therapeutic spinal nerve root blocks
• Spinal deformity surgery including Adult and Paediatric Scoliosis
• Degenerative Cervical and Lumbar deformity surgery
• Minimally invasive and micro-spinal surgery
• Non-instrumented and instrumented spinal surgery for degenerative conditions
• Percutaneous vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
• Imaging guided spinal tumour biopsy service
• Spinal cord stimulation service for complex regional pain
• Congenital Spinal Pathology including paediatric spinal dysraphism surgery
• Spinal vascular microsurgery
• Inflammatory spinal conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis

At the Bristol Neurological & Spinal Unit, based at Southmead Hospital Bristol we provide a high quality service not just from the technical aspects of what can be achieved but also quality from the perspective of the patient.

The Orthopaedic Spine Surgeons are at the forefront of collecting data on clinical quality outcomes and Neurosurgery are developing tools for recording patient reported outcomes.

As part of our quality agenda the majority of our elective patients are seen at a pre-assessment clinic to identify any potential risks that could influence surgery. The pre-operative assessment clinic is run by specialist nurses under the leadership of surgical and anaesthetic consultants. The nurses help patients prepare for their operations, anticipated discharge home and also provide information regarding what to expect during the recovery period. This all contributes to a smoother in-patient experience for patients.

There are Consultants leading the Audit and Clinical Governance programmes within the Bristol Neurological and Spinal Unit. The specialist nurse practitioners conduct telephone follow up interviews for patients who have undergone non-complex “routine” spinal surgery. We have an active policy of monitoring for surgical site infection and this service is again delivered by our specialist nurse practitioners.

Both the Neurosurgical and Orthopaedic Spinal Teams hold multi-disciplinary team meetings. This provides a forum for discussing patients with challenging spinal conditions as well as an opportunity to reflect on the service and plan for future developments, to present audits and to discuss research proposals. 

The Bristol Spinal Unit accepts patients referred from Primary Care Teams as well as Regional Inter-Hospital referrals as well as national and international referrals. 

We offer a full range of operative and non-operative management strategies for patients with spinal conditions.

Bristol Bariatric Service (BBS) offers primary and revision bariatric surgery (including laparoscopic gastric band, gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy). We have an established unit since 2003 and have funding for approximately 250 primary operations per year.
Bariatric Surgery can be considered as a possible treatment option for people with obesity when:

• BMI >40 kg/m2 or person with BMI 35-40 kg/m2 who has other significant disease that could be improved if they lost weight (e.g. type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, Benign Intracranial Hypertension etc.).
• All appropriate non-surgical measures have been tried but the person has not achieved or maintained adequate, clinically beneficial weight loss.
• The person has been receiving or will receive intensive management in a Tier 3 service (WAMS).
• The person is generally fit for anaesthesia and surgery.
• The person commits to the need for long term follow up.
• Bariatric surgery is the option of choice (instead of lifestyle interventions or drug treatment) for adults with a BMI of > 50 kg/m2 when other interventions have not been effective.
• Patients with a BMI >35 kg/m2 who have recent-onset type 2 diabetes should be offered an expedited assessment for bariatric surgery as long as they are also receiving or will receive assessment in a Tier 3 service (WAMS).
• Consider an assessment for bariatric surgery for people with BMI 30-35 kg/m2 who have recent onset type 2 diabetes as long as they are also receiving or will receive assessment in a Tier 3 service (WAMS).
• Consider an assessment for bariatric surgery for people of Asian family origin who have recent onset type 2 diabetes at a lower BMI than other populations as long as they are also receiving or will receive assessment in a Tier 3 service (WAMS).

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We will endeavour to assess, investigate and treat patients as soon as possible, and keep you fully informed of their progress.

We accept referrals from:

• Primary care via letter detailing BMI and co morbidities. 
• Interprovider

These should be sent to:

Pauline Clifford, Obesity Services Coordinator
Office 2, Gate 38, Level 3, Brunel building
Southmead Hospital, Westbury‐on‐Trym, Bristol. BS10 5NB
Telephone: 0117 414 0855 or 0117 414 0854

Advice & Guidance

Clinical Advice:
Bariatric Specialist Nurse, Faye Taylor
Telephone 0117 4147557 or 0755 7312784 (Monday-Friday).

Administration or Referral Advice:
Pauline Clifford
Email: pauline.clifford@nbt.nhs.uk (Monday to Wednesday) 
Telephone:0117 414 0855 or 0117 414 0854

Access to the services is by referral, preferably via the relevant specialist.

The Anaesthetic Department provides services at Southmead Hospital Bristol.

• All theatre sessions and emergency surgery

• Post-operative care, including the clinical care of patients in the Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit

• Analgesia and anaesthesia for obstetrics (Southmead)

• Chronic pain management.