Programme appoints leads for 14 new specialty reviews

Leading clinicians from across the NHS have joined the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme to lead reviews into a range of medical and surgical specialities. GIRFT today announced the appointment of surgical leads and senior advisors for 14 new workstreams.

Professor Tim Briggs, Chair of GIRFT and National Director of Clinical Quality and Efficiency at NHS Improvement, said: “I am delighted that we have attracted another high calibre group of extremely experienced and enthusiastic clinical leads into the GIRFT programme.

“The fact that each workstream is led by an expert in the speciality is a vital part of the GIRFT methodology, because it means trust clinicians know they are dealing with people who really understand the challenges they face.”

Many of the clinicians joining GIRFT have been recruited by the programme in conjunction with their specialty’s Royal College or professional society, giving even more weight to the appointment. The new appointments are:

1. BREAST SURGERY
   Clinical Lead: Miss Fiona MacNeill, Consultant Breast Surgeon, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and Immediate Past President of the Association of Breast Surgery.
   Senior Clinical Advisor: Miss Tracey Irvine, Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
2. ACUTE AND GENERAL MEDICINE
   Clinical Lead: Mr Mike Jones, Consultant Acute Physician and Senior Lecturer, University Hospital of North Durham and University of Durham, and Director of Standards and Director of Training, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
3. CARDIOLOGY
   Joint Clinical Leads:
   Dr Sarah Clarke, Consultant Cardiologist and Clinical Director for Strategic Development, Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, and President of the British Cardiovascular Society.
   Professor Simon Ray, Consultant Cardiologist, University Hospital of South Manchester, and Honorary Professor of Cardiology, University of Manchester Director, and President Elect of the British Cardiovascular Society.
4. RESPIRATORY
   Clinical Lead: Dr Martin Allen, Consultant Physician for Respiratory Services and Lead in Sleep Services, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.
5. GERIATRIC MEDICINE
   Clinical Lead: Dr Adrian Hopper, Consultant Physician, and Deputy Medical Director, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), London.
6. DERMATOLOGY
   Clinical Lead: Dr Nick Levell, Consultant Dermatologist (& senior dermatologist), Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and President of the British Association of Dermatologists.
7. NEUROLOGY
   Clinical Lead: Dr Geraint Fuller, Consultant Neurologist, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Gloucester Royal Hospital).
   Senior Clinical Advisor: Professor Adrian Williams, Professor of Neurology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and NHSE Chair of the Neurosciences CRG, the National Neurosciences Advisory Group and the West Midlands Senate.
8. GASTROENTEROLOGY
   Clinical Lead: Dr Beverly Oates, Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist, and Clinical Service Lead for Gastroenterology & Endoscopy, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
9. DIABETES AND ENDOCRINOLOGY
   Joint Clinical Leads:
   Professor Gerry Rayman, Consultant Physician, Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, and the Diabetes Research Unit at Ipswich Hospitals NHS Trust.
   Dr Partha Kar, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
10. RENAL MEDICINE
    Joint Clinical Leads:
    Dr Graham Lipkin, Consultant Nephrologist, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (Queen Elizabeth Hospital), and President Elect of the Renal Association.
    Dr William McKane, Consultant Nephrologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Northern General Hospital), and Clinical Director, Sheffield Kidney Institute.
11. Anaesthesia AND PERIOPERATIVE MEDICINE (POM)
    Joint Clinical Leads:
    Dr Chris Snowden, Consultant Anaesthetist, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Freeman Hospital), and the Royal College of Anaesthetists Clinical Lead (Joint) for Perioperative Medicine.
    Dr Mike Swart, Consultant Anaesthetist and Critical Care Medicine, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, and the Royal College of Anaesthetists Clinical Lead (Joint) for Perioperative Medicine.
12. HOSPITAL DENTISTRY
    Clinical Lead: Mrs Elizabeth Jones OBE, Immediate Past Dean of Postgraduate Dentistry for London.
13. INTENSIVE AND CRITICAL CARE
    Clinical Lead: Dr Anna Batchelor, Consultant Anaesthetist and Intensivist, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Chair of the Critical Care Leadership Forum.
14. IMAGING AND RADIOLOGY
    Clinical Lead: Dr Kath Halliday, Clinical Lead Radiologist, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The clinical leads will be responsible for managing a review of their own speciality, visiting every trust that undertakes that service in England, looking for unwarranted variations in care and outcomes using a detailed report of the trust’s own data. A national report will be produced for each workstream, detailing recommendations to improve care and patient outcomes, as well as highlighting examples of good practice.

The new clinical leads will start work on their programmes by the end of the year. Leads for the remaining workstreams will be announced by the autumn.