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Theatres and Perioperative Medicine Clinical Leads

  • Senior Responsible Officer – Theatres & Perioperative programme
Professor Tim Briggs CBE

Senior Responsible Officer – Theatres & Perioperative programme

He is the programme lead for GIRFT, leading the roll out of the programme’s methodology across all surgical, medical and cross-cutting specialties.

Tim was appointed to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital as a consultant in 1992. His specialist interests are in orthopaedic oncology as well as surgery to the hip and knee. He was medical director at the RNOH for 15 years, ensuring a re-build, and was president of the British Orthopaedic Association in 2014.

  • APOM Clinical Lead
Dr Chris Snowden

APOM Clinical Lead

Dr Snowden trained and graduated in Newcastle upon Tyne and became a consultant anaesthetist at the Freeman Hospital in 1997. He holds an honorary senior lecturer position at Newcastle University and is regional clinical lead for the North East North Cumbria Provider Collaborative. Dr Snowden has a particular interest in the perioperative management of high-risk patients including transplantation, preassessment and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. 
  • Clinical lead for theatre productivity
Dr Greg Cook

Clinical Lead for Theatre Productivity

Dr Cook is a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. He has been clinical director for the Trafford Elective Surgical Hub (TESH) since its inception, driving improved productivity metrics by establishing high productivity principles and novel ways of working. In his GIRFT role he has supported multiple centres with a variety of peri-operative challenges, both clinical and operational. 

  • Clinical Specialist Advisor - Theatres
Dr Syed Ahmed

Clinical Specialist Advisor – Theatres

Mr Ahmed is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, with extensive expertise in complex primary and revision hip arthroplasty. He has pioneered high-intensity theatre models to improve efficiency and patient outcomes, and contributes to national and international consensus work on fast-track arthroplasty.

  • National Lead for Pre-operative Assessment
Emma McCone

National Lead for Pre-operative Assessment

Emma is currently seconded full time as the national GIRFT lead for pre-operative assessment.
 
She has worked in pre-operative assessment for more than 20 years; her most recent clinical role was as nurse lead for pre-operative assessment at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
 
Over 20 years, Emma has developed a passion and enthusiasm for the development of pre-operative assessment services and its vital role in the safe assessment of patients as part of perioperative care.
 
Since starting with GIRFT, she has led national workstreams across pre-operative assessment, including supporting workforce development, guidance for pre-operative assessment services and setting up the national Non-Medical POA Network in England, which has more than 450 members. The network allows perioperative teams across the country to connect, share innovation and adopt best practice.
 
Emma also works with pre-operative teams across England, offering focused support to improve the surgical pathways by looking at capacity and demand, workforce, service provision, early risk assessment and interventions, while supporting staff to maintain a positive patient experience.
 
She also co-led the national PACE (postponements and cancellations evaluation), which was published in April 2026.
  • National Lead for CYP Pre-operative Assessment
Helen Leigh

National Lead for CYP Pre-operative Assessment

With over 25 years experience across acute and community paediatric settings, Helen brings a wealth of clinical expertise and a strong commitment to improving surgical pathways for children and young people. She has played a pivotal role in developing children and young people (CYP) high-volume low-complexity (HVLC) pathways, which have been modelled by the GIRFT programme.

 
Helen has been instrumental in strengthening the role of pre-operative assessment (POA) within her trust and now contributes at a national level as the GIRFT lead for CYP pre-operative assessment. She has also contributed to national publications and guidance, with a particular focus on ensuring reasonable adjustments to support children and young people with individual needs.
  • Clinical Specialist Advisor - Theatres
Professor Giuseppe Garcea

Clinical Specialist Advisor – Theatres

Giuseppe is a consultant hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgeon and deputy medical director for planned care at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. He also holds an honorary professorship with the University of Leicester. 

Appointed as a consultant in 2011, he has combined a specialist HPB surgical practice with a longstanding commitment to clinical leadership and healthcare improvement. 

Alongside his clinical work, he leads programmes to improve elective care across a range of areas, including theatre productivity, outpatient transformation, referral optimisation and clinical pathway redesign. His work focuses on developing practical, evidence-based solutions that improve patient outcomes, increase productivity and support sustainable NHS services. 

He has a particular interest in clinician-led improvement, translating national policy into meaningful operational change and working collaboratively with clinical teams to deliver measurable and lasting improvements in patient care. 

  • Former joint APOM Clinical Lead
Dr Mike Swart

Former joint APOM clinical lead

Dr Swart trained at University College London and undertook anaesthesia and critical care training in Oxford, Cardiff and Cambridge. For the last 18 years he has worked as a consultant in anaesthesia and critical care medicine at Torbay Hospital in Devon. Dr Swart was previously the medical lead for the Peninsula Critical Care Network and Department of Health advisor for anaesthesia to the Enhanced Recovery Programme.

Mike stepped down from his GIRFT role in April 2026.