Consultant Surgeons

Service Lead
Mr Alan Osborne
Secretary: Sue Phillis
Telephone: 0117 4140834  

Mr Christopher Wong
Secretary: Sue Phillis
Telephone: 0117 4140834

Mr James Hewes
Secretary: Kate Hewings
Telephone: 0117 4140837

Mr James Hopkins
Secretary: Kate Hewings
Telephone: 0117 4140837

Mr Dimitrios Pournaras 
Secretary: Kate Hewings
Telephone: 0117 4140837

Mr Nitin Arvind (locum)
Secretary: Sue Phillis
Telephone: 0117 4140834

UGI Specialist Nurse
David Hocking
Issy Battiwalla
Sharon Short
Telephone: 0117 4140515

North Bristol NHS Trust delivers the vascular service for the 1.12 million people of Bristol, North Somerset, Bath, North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Formed in 2014, the major arterial centre (MAC) for the network is Southmead Hospital.

The network is responsible for the delivery of both elective and emergency vascular care. This includes all arterial surgery for the area, and:

• Varicose vein treatments
• Diabetic foot care
• Renal access

In addition, the network provides complex endovascular services for the 3.5 million people of the South West.

The Major Arterial Centre provides 24 hours a day, seven day a week service for vascular surgery and interventional radiology. We have a 32-bedded vascular ward in the Brunel building on level 2, gate 33B, Southmead Hospital and both a dedicated operating theatre and hybrid theatre available for the vascular service.

Vascular surgery has been recognised as leading service at North Bristol NHS Trust alongside our regional trauma, renal, neurosurgery and plastics units. This position will be further strengthened with the appointment by the University of Bristol of Prof Robert Hinchliffe as Clinical Professor of Vascular Surgery.

Our Locations

The model of care is for the ‘front door’ of the vascular service to be provided the patient’s local hospital where they can consult with a vascular specialist and have outpatient care and imaging. Both inpatient care requiring a vascular multi-disciplinary team and emergency care are delivered from the major arterial centre (MAC) for the network in the Brunel Building at Southmead Hospital, Bristol (North Bristol NHS Trust).

• Southmead Hospital: Major Arterial Centre, Major Trauma Centre and regional Renal & Transplant Unit
• Bristol Royal Infirmary: Day case angioplasty, Outpatient clinics, Imaging including vascular scientists (CTA/MRA/Duplex)
• Bristol Heart Institute: Thoracic stenting - joint service with UH Bristol FT
• Royal United Hospital Bath: Day case angioplasty, Outpatient clinics, Imaging including vascular scientists (CTA/MRA/Duplex)
• Weston General Hospital: Outpatient clinics, Imaging including visiting vascular scientists (CTA/MRA/Duplex)

There are dedicated vascular laboratories at Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Royal United Hospital Bath all providing the opportunity for training in vascular ultrasound.

Useful Links

Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland vascularsociety.org.uk

Circulation Foundation (the UK vascular disease charity) circulationfoundation.org.uk

Professional Information

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists:  www.rcslt.org

Research

Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit www.speech-therapy.org.uk

Clinical information

Stammering:  British Stammering Association www.stammering.org

Voice Disorders: British Voice Association www.british-voice-association.com

Laryngectomy: National Association of Laryngectomee Clubs www.laryngectomy.org.uk

Stroke: Stroke Association www.stroke.org.uk

Speakability www.speakability.org.uk

Bristol Area Stroke Foundation www.stroke-bristol.org

Dementia: Alzheimers Society www.alzheimers.org.uk     

Head Injury: Headway www.headway.org.uk

Parkinson’s Disease Association www.parkinsons.org.uk

Motor Neurone Disease Association www.mndassociation.org

Pick’s Disease Association www.pdsg.org.uk

Multiple Sclerosis Society www.mssociety.org.uk

Multiple System Atrophy: Sarah Matheson Trust www.msaweb.co.uk

Huntington’s Disease Association www.hda.org.uk

Royal National Institute for the Deaf www.rnid.org.uk

Royal National Institute for the Blind www.rnib.org.uk

Disability Charity: SCOPE www.scope.org.uk

Changing Faces www.changingfaces.org.uk

Macmillan Cancer Support www.macmillan.org.uk

Head of Service
Catherine Hamilton

SLT Team Leaders

Outpatient Lead
Anna Tucker

Inpatient/Videofluoroscopy Lead
Renee Robinson

Inpatient/FEES Lead
Helen Spear

Hearing Therapy
Helen Merry

If you have a communication problem and would like to speak to a Speech and Language Therapist, you or a family member or carer can contact us directly to discuss if a referral would be appropriate for you. If so, you can either ask your GP to refer you to Speech and Language Therapy or you can refer yourself. 

If you are having difficulty with your voice you will usually need to be seen by an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor before being referred for Speech and Language Therapy at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.  If you are unable to speak to us over the telephone but have access to the internet, you can email us with your queries.

As we are unable to accept swallowing referrals directly from patients or their family or carers, please contact your GP to discuss this with them.

We prioritise all of the referrals according to their urgency and endeavour to see people as quickly as possible. Once we receive your referral, you will be sent a letter acknowledging this and informing you of our current waiting times. You are welcome to contact the Speech and Language Therapy Department at any time, if you have further information that may be helpful, or to discuss any issues, questions or concerns you may have.

The Hearing Therapy service is based in the Brunel building and is available to people admitted to Southmead Hospital Bristol.

Hearing Therapy offers an assessment and management service to clients with communication difficulties due to a sudden or progressive deafness. This includes assistance in alternative communication strategies and assessment for hearing equipment.
Hearing Therapy promotes better communication between the client, their carers and the multi-disciplinary team.

Twice weekly Videofluoroscopy Swallowing Clinics are held at Southmead Hospital.

Referrals to these clinics will be agreed between the Speech & Language Therapist and your doctor.

SLTs provide assessment, diagnosis, therapy and support for people, as appropriate, as well as advice and support to families, carers and hospital staff involved with patient care.

SLTs liaise closely with the inpatient multidisciplinary teams and are involved in supporting the person’s discharge from hospital. They liaise and work with the person’s GP and community services, to support any assessment and management when they are at home. This can be in the person’s own home or residential/nursing home in the community.

SLTs assess, diagnose and manage swallowing disorders (dysphagia) associated with acquired neurological illnesses, stroke, head and neck surgery, palliative care and respiratory complications (e.g. tracheostomy).

Early intervention is desirable.

SLTs contribute to the diagnosis and management of swallowing difficulties and work as part of the multi-disciplinary team. Our aim is to identify those individuals who have the potential for aspiration (i.e. inhalation of food, fluid, saliva, and reflux) and to ensure that eating and drinking is safe and sufficient.

We will provide written information about the nature of the swallowing disorder, results of assessments, agreed oral intake and any appropriate swallowing strategies in the person’s medical notes/outpatient care plan. Further investigation via Videofluoroscopy (i.e. a video X-ray of the swallow) or endoscopy may be required).

SLTs provide acute and rehabilitation services to people who have communication problems (such as aphasia, dysarthria, dysphonia) when they are inpatients, outpatients or in the community. These may be the result of stroke, progressive neurological illness, traumatic brain injury, fluency disorders (e.g. stammering), or palliative care needs.

People who are referred to SLT may have difficulty expressing themselves clearly. Some (e.g. people who have had a stroke or those with a progressive neurological illness, such as dementia) may also have difficulty understanding what is said to them. They may not be able to read and write as well as they used to. They may not be able to tell their family how they feel or what they want to do. If people are unable to communicate using speech, they may benefit from a referral to the Bristol Communication Aids Service.

SLTs will provide information on the nature of the communication problem and will carry out thorough assessments to determine the most effective intervention for an individual. They may implement programmes of therapy if appropriate or give advice and support to carers, to ensure that people are able to communicate as effectively as possible. SLTs will work with individuals, groups, and their families or carers.