Faculty

Surgeons

Jonathan Ockrim MBCHB FRCS  A graduate of Glasgow University Medical School (1989), Jonathan completed his higher surgical training and research in London, based at Guy's and St Thomas' hospital.  After joining Yeovil District Hospital in 2003, Jonathan worked jointly with Robin Kennedy (prior to his departure to London in 2006).

Jonathan is a well established member of the enhanced recovery team and manages a case mix that includes laparoscopic colorectal surgery and minimal access hernia repair.  In addition, he regularly performs laparoscopic cholecystectomy and bile duct exploration.

Nader Francis MBBCh FRCS PhD After graduating in Cairo (1991), Nader undertook basic and higher surgical training in Dundee, a well established laparoscopic training centre. In addition to completing a PhD in laparoscopic surgical skills with Sir Alfred Cuschieri, Nader was also involved in course development and delivery in the Dundee skills centre. He enhanced his skills in endoscopy and advanced open colorectal surgery at the Western General Hospital Colorectal Unit (Edinburgh). Finally, during a fellowship with Dr Antonio Lacy (Barcelona) he learned what could be achieved in a centre of excellence for laparoscopic colorectal and morbid obesity surgery.

Since joining Yeovil District Hospital in November 2006, he has become part of the enhanced recovery team for all colorectal surgery. His case mix includes laparoscopic colorectal resections for elective colorectal cancer and benign conditions, laparoscopic pouch surgery. In addition, laparoscopic cholecystectomy and minimal access hernia repair (inguinal and incisional).

Anaesthetists

Roger Kipling.   Since qualifying at Barts', trained mainly in Cambridge and is currently a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care at Yeovil District Hospital.

Apart from interests in intensive care he has worked with the colorectal team for many years to assist with the laparoscopic surgery development. He has been responsible for the anesthetic contribution to the enhanced recovery programme running here in Yeovil. He has a particular interest in thoracic epidural analgesia and the control of blood pressure problems during laparoscopic surgery.

Roger continues to support one of the earlier pioneers in both laparoscopic surgery and enhanced recovery programme, Mr. Robin Kennedy, and often teaches with him at St. Marks Hospital, London.

Theatre Practitioners

Win Gillard RN BSc (Hons) As a Laparoscopic Practitioner, Win has been actively involved with the development of laparoscopic surgery since 1992.

Win has a particular interest and expertise in laparoscopic colorectal surgery and acts as camera assistant for all major cases. She also has a keen interest in the development of Peri-operative care and the enhanced recovery of the colorectal patients. She plays a key role in the organisation and provision of regular courses for theatre personnel. This course includes first hand observation of laparoscopic colorectal surgery and the theatre set up and an afternoon of teaching in the Somerset Academy, enable the delegates to not only share experience of new surgical techniques but also share knowledge of implementing change of practice in the theatre environment.

As a member of the National Association of Assistants in Surgical Practice, Win acts as the Scholarship Coordinator.

Senior Sister

Mrs Louise Evans P.G Dip.BSc Hons Louise has been Senior Sister on the General Surgical Ward at Yeovil District Hospital since September 2005. The Ward has 30 beds for both planned and emergency admissions from varying specialities.

Previously she worked for three years as a Research Nurse and facilitator for the Enhanced Recovery Trial at Yeovil which followed a large Medical Research Council Clinical Trial "CLASICC" comparing laparoscopic surgery with open surgery for colorectal cancer. Louise was able to further support the research patients during her role at that time as junior sister on the surgical ward.

Louise has been nursing since 1989, when she started as a Health Care Assistant and then qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1997 with a diploma, having completed Project 2000 training. Since then she has completed a BSc (Hons) Nursing and a Post Graduate Diploma in Health care and Educational Practice.

Having played a key role in facilitating and supervising the Enhanced Recovery Programme at Yeovil, Louise feels that the experience has enhanced her professional and personal development.

Specialist Colorectal/ Stoma Care Nurse

Maggie Soulsby RGN -BSc Health Studies Maggie qualified in 1983 as an Enrolled Nurse and worked on a surgical ward for 11 years, a job she enjoyed immensely, and where she developed a particular interest in stoma care.

In 1992 after completing a conversion course to RGN, Maggie was able to develop a different career pathway as a Breast and Stoma care staff nurse. She became the stoma care sister in 1994. She further developed the role to colorectal/ stoma care to encompass all patients with colorectal cancer and not just the ones who had formation of a stoma.

In 2000 she commenced a part time course for 3 years as a Research Nurse on the Enhanced Recovery Trial. (ERT). As part of the ERT she was able to set up the nurse led cancer patient follow up clinic to assess patients' progress and arrange the surveillance follow up.

Maggie is currently studying for an MSc in Cancer Care at the University of West of England. She is Chair of the Nurses Forum of the Association of Coloproctology for Great Britain & Ireland.

Specialist Pain Control Nurse

Dawn Wintle SRN Dip BSc (Hons) After qualifying in 1975 at Ipswich and East Sussex Hospital, Dawn worked in an acute surgical trauma unit. It is from this experience that she developed her interest in pain control.

She has worked in Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust since 1992, initially as a staff nurse and then as a Sister in Recovery. In 1997 she became a Pain Control Specialist Nurse playing a key role in developing the service within the Trust. She has been involved in the Enhanced Recovery Programme from the beginning and has helped develop and implement protocols for pain care as well as providing training and support for the nursing of epidurals on the wards.

The management of substance misuse has also been an interest and with an increasing number of patients entering the hospital with problems associated with substance misuse, Dawn completed her certificate in substance misuse with the RCGP and is now lead in this area for the Trust. Her team won the category award and overall winner of Dorset and Somerset Health Authority Modernisation Award for their work with substance misuse in 2004. In 2005 the Yeovil District Hospital team won an award at the South Thames Acute Pain Conference for their guidelines of these patients and their seamless service which has developed between primary and secondary care.

Nutritionists

Louise van Rensburg BSc SRD Louise completed her BSc in Dietetics degree in 1998 at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. The following year, she came over to England to work as a dietitian all over the country. She gained experience in all fields of dietetics, but developed a keen interest in nutrition support in surgery, gastroentrology and critical care.

Louise has been a nutrition support dietitian at Yeovil for 7 years and enjoyed the challenge of developing a nutrition support service. She took the lead in setting up a nutrition team, home enteral feeding service and dietetic service to gastroenterology. She is a member of the team setting up the Enhanced Recovery Programme for colorectal surgery and also more recently in orthopaedics. She continues to develop guidelines and policies for nutrition support and does regular training for healthcare staff.

Louise believes that networking and benchmarking is a vital part of practice and took the opportunity to initiate a regional interest group for dietitians working in artificial nutrition (Southern Artificial Nutrition Dietitans - SAND- group) in the South West. This proves to be a popular forum for sharing current practice and ensuring evidence based practice."

Physiotherapists

Mrs Sarah Edwards , MCSP Grad.Dip. Phys Sarah trained at Guy's Hospital in London in 1985. She subsequently spent 3 further years in London, at the Royal London Hospital, and then moving, for promotion, to Addenbrookes in Cambridge where she worked on the Critical Care, Spinal Injuries and Orthopaedic Trauma Unit for 18 months. Following that she secured a senior post in Leeds, at The General Infirmary, as one of 2 physiotherapist leads in the (regional) Cardiothoracic Unit.

In December 1992, Sarah travelled to New Zealand with her husband, and worked as a Section Head in Respiratory Care at one of the general hospitals in Auckland, for 1 year, returning to Yorkshire for 5 months, before re-locating to Dorset and joining Yeovil District Hospital in May 1994, as the Senior Physiotherapist for Respiratory and Critical Care.

"I have been fortunate to have worked at Yeovil now for 14 years, to see the hospital develop and grow, and to also be involved from the early planning stages in the work on Enhanced Recovery developed by Mr. Robin Kennedy, previously Surgeon of the Year whilst at Yeovil Hospital. Although I am now the In-Patient Therapy Manager at Yeovil Hospital, with a team of 30 staff, (both Physio and Occupational Therapy) I still maintain a keen interest in ERP, and other clinical areas, and am often in uniform, on the wards and treating patients, which is where I believe (and hope) my professional and clinical skills lie".