A new campaign
featuring local breast
cancer survivors hit the
North East this Autumn
to emphasise the
importance of life
saving breast screening
“Breast Screening Saves Lives: It’s too important to forget”
is a familiar slogan used by the Newcastle Hospitals’ Breast
Screening Service, encouraging women aged 50-70 to attend
their screening appointment at their local breast screening site.
This year, Breast Specialists at the city centre’s Royal Victoria
Infirmary (RVI) have welcomed some of their patients to join the
campaign to give a fresh perspective.
Posters featuring the new stars have been sent out GP Surgeries
across the Region and we would urge you to place them with
pride in your waiting areas.
Copies can be requested from Alison Barker,
Breast Unit Manager at the RVI by email
 [email protected]
Top of the Centre of Excellence
Research for Bone Disease
League Table
The Newcastle Hospitals has
been named as the country’s
top performing Trust for
volume of clinical research
for the fifth year in a row.
This means we are offering
more patients than any other
NHS Provider with innovative,
gold standard clinical research
and trials.
The NIHR league table showed
that our research experts
delivered 514 clinical research
studies during the last year,
with over 12,000 patients
taking part in Newcastle-led
clinical research.
The Newcastle Bone
Centre at Newcastle’s
Freeman Hospital has
been awarded Paget’s
Association Centre of
Excellence status.
The Paget’s Association
Centre of Excellence
Award recognises
hospital and university
departments which
l-r: Professor Roger Francis presenting award to
demonstrate
Dr Terry Aspray
excellence in both the
treatment of Paget’s disease, and research into the condition.
Newcastle is the latest centre to be bestowed with this
prestigious award which was handed over by Professor Roger
Francis, Chairman for the Paget’s Association, who established
the Newcastle Bone Clinic back in 1984.
To find out more about these stories, go to the News Section of our website
www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk
GP Matters is now available electronically. Emailed bi-monthly our newsletter is sent out to all Practice
Managers to be circulated down to GP and other Practice colleagues. If you would like us to send these
to you directly, email [email protected] and we will add you to our direct mailing list.
Also inside...
Urgent Access Services
GP Communications –
an update
District Nurse Ambulatory
Care Clinic
Advice and Guidance on the
NHS e-Referral Service
Plus
Newcastle Dermatology
Referrals update
One-Stop Clinic for Children
with Asthma
Fast Track Service for
Vocational Drivers with
Suspected OSA
Newcastle Hospitals @
Manor Walks, Cramlington
Issue Twenty two - Dec 2016
Community not domiciliary
I
have worked as a GP for 25 years
and in that time the number of
home visits undertaken by GPs has
declined dramatically by at least 80
per cent.
We still visit a small group of people who
are either in nursing homes or in receipt
of palliative care usually in the latter
stages of life.
Throughout this time frame community
nursing teams have continued to work in
the community as mobile units delivering
care to patients in their own homes often
from bases in GP surgeries although this
has changed in recent years due to the
severe pressure on physical space.
Their workload has become increasingly
complex and challenging with early
discharge post surgery and the provision
of high quality palliative care support to
patients and their families.
It is recognised that this highly skilled
group of professionals are under
increased pressure as a result of a rising
workload, changed patient and societal
expectations, increased complexity of
caseload and the challenges of
recruitment and retention which currently
impact on all parts of the NHS.
It is undoubtedly more efficient to base
nursing teams in strategically placed hubs
across our city and ensure that more
patients can access the care they need by
travelling to see them. This may require
innovative approaches to patient
transport and there will always be
situations where domiciliary care is
still required.
But the overall effect will be to use our
existing workforce more flexibly in a way
which enables them to deliver an improved
service to the populations they serve.
It will enable a higher quality of consultation
to take place due to the ease of access
to computer based clinical records and
diagnostic equipment and should, I hope,
lead to improved job satisfaction for
those staff involved. It reduces
significantly the need for complex and
expensive IT solutions to support mobile
working in the community.
We have opened such a facility in the
East of Newcastle and initial feedback is
very positive from both staff and patients
alike. I am hopeful that this is just the first
of several such facilities serving the
patients of this city.
There will be some among us who
mindful of a different era mourn the
fact that our community nurses are not
based in GP premises and have fewer
opportunities for face to face interaction
with their GP colleagues and other
members of the primary health care
team. I know that some of my colleagues
are very concerned about what they
perceive as the loss of “their“district
nurse.
Dr Steve Turley is a GP at Roseworth Surgery in Gosforth, Newcastle and a
GP Clinical Adviser for the Newcastle Hospitals
However I feel that we need to be honest
about the current situation in which
community nursing finds itself. Demand
is rising inexorably and outstripping
capacity, recruitment and retention
are huge issues and this is negatively
impacting on the morale of the staff,
and their ability, however well intended
to deliver an effective service.
In my opinion, change is not only
inevitable it is desirable. We need to use
our resources flexibly and imaginatively
to ensure that we continue to meet the
needs of our population. As we move
forwards we will continue to have a
community based service but, for the
majority of patients, it will not be and nor
does it need to be a domiciliary service.
Community not domiciliary - that’s
the future.
District Nurse Ambulatory Care Clinic
O
n September 1st 2016, Newcastle’s
District Nursing Service launched
its new Community Ambulatory Care
Clinic at Walkergate Health Centre
and Molineux Health Centre.
The service was established in response to
District Nursing pressures, particularly in
the east locality, where the provision of
District Nursing clinics in GP practices was
impacting on the District Nursing service.
The District Nursing Community
Ambulatory Clinic is available to any
patient who can access the centres
and who require a District Nurse for
the following:
• Bladder scanning
• Catheter management
• Dopplar assessment
• Ear assessment
• Ear syringing
ladder and bowel dysfunction
• B
assessment
• Referral to specialist services
Appointments are available through the
NHS e:Referral System and the service
accepts referrals from:
• Patients and/or their carers
• C
omplex wound management
• GPs and Practice Nurses
• L ymphoedema management
• Hospital teams
• C
ontinence assessment
In its first month the clinic saw 322
2
patients, and although the service is in its
early development already we are
receiving fantastic feedback from patients.
Comments received include: “wheelchair
accessibility plus lovely staff”, “Excellent,
everything is wonderful”, “I love it here,
everything is fantastic”; “professional,
friendly, excellent service”; “warm and
welcoming”.
The service will continue to review the
access and referral criteria in collaboration
with our GP colleagues and the staff will
be liaising directly with GP practices in the
coming months.
If you have any comments you
would like to share with us please
contact either:
 [email protected] or
 [email protected]
As with all NHS organisations
we are gearing up to meet the
challenges we face over the
Winter months
Adv
Guid ice and
an
the ce on
e-Re NHS
fe
Serv rral
ice
H
ospital admissions will always increase during Winter
but we would like to emphasise the range of clinical
options available to GPs when making urgent referrals to
the Newcastle Hospitals:
he Ambulatory Care Unit – for patients who are
• T
ambulatory and would benefit from urgent assessment or
investigations which can be booked for the same day or
following morning;
• O
ur Emergency Medical Opinion Line – direct
communication with a Consultant in Acute Medicine about
a potential admission;
• C
ommunity Response and Rehabilitation Team (CRRT)
– providing community based responses for patients who
are frail and vulnerable, often with complex health and
social needs;
• R
apid Assessment in Care of the Elderly (RACE) – rapid
MDT assessment for early stage concerns.
HAEMATOLOGY
W
e would like to encourage advice to be sought
from the Haematology Department using the
e-referral service rather than by phone, unless the
enquiry is urgent.
The Haematology Department guarantees a response from a
Consultant Haematologist within seven working days.
Suitable Indications for Advice and Guidance Referral include:
•
•
•
•
•
There are many other services available which can be found
online at www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/gpuac
Blood count abnormalities of uncertain significance
Clotting abnormalities of uncertain significance
Advice on anticoagulation
Advice on thrombotic risk
Elderly/disabled patients who find it difficult to travel
All can be contacted when you need to arrange rapid referral
to specialist care in one of our community or secondary care
based services, and can be an excellent alternative to emergency
admission for some patients.
GPs across Newcastle were
also recently sent an updated
A5 laminated contact sheet
which provides direct contact
details for some of the key
services and clinics offering
excellent alternatives to
Newcastle’s Emergency
Department and Assessment
Suite.
Advice and Guidance should not be used for:
• Significant lymphadenopathy
• Patients already known to a particular Consultant
Haematologist – please write directly to the Consultant in
these cases
For queries contact:
Dr Anne Lennard, Consultant Haematologist
 (0191) 282 3176,  [email protected]
Lawrence White, NHS e-Referral Service Manager
 (0191) 244 8632,  [email protected]
or  [email protected]
Making use of all these services
will help us to free capacity in
our Emergency Department.
GP Communications
– an update
For the future:
As previously reported we are progressing with plans to send
Clinic Letters electronically and a pilot phase will start soon for
patients seen at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC)
and Ophthalmology. Initially four GP practices will be involved,
and further notice will be given of plans to roll this out when
ready.
O
n Wednesday 9th November 2016 the Newcastle
Hospitals began sending out a range of notifications
electronically to those GP practices who have access to ICE
and use it for obtaining discharge summaries:
• electronic Emergency Department
discharge summaries from the RVI via
e:Record
• electronic admission notifications
– both elective and emergency
• electronic “Notification of Serious
Diagnosis” - these will mainly be
new cancer diagnoses but you will
start to see notifications for serious,
non-malignant diagnoses as well.
We also plan to send electronic notices with death certificate
details of patients from your Practice, who have died within the
Newcastle Hospitals. Again details of when we expect this to
commence will be confirmed nearer the time.
We hope this update is useful but if you have any queries or
need further information please contact:
Clinical: Dr Nick Thompson, Consultant Gastroenterologist
 [email protected]
ICE:  Katrina Walker, Newcastle Hospitals’ ICE
Administrator [email protected]
3
UPDATE
“Consultant First”
- Dermatology e-Referral Process
T
he pressures on Dermatology
Services across the UK are well
known, and for Dermatologists in the
North East this is no exception.
Due to the constraints of the NHS
e-Referral system, Newcastle Dermatology
is unable to view referral letters if the
patients do not already have an
appointment. It is therefore not possible
to triage these referrals in the usual way.
How the system works:
We require GPs to refer patients
following the steps outlined below:
• Open e-Referral system in the normal way
• Enter ‘Priority, Specialty and Clinic
Type’. The ‘dummy’ services are a
duplicate of the actual services
available
• Press ‘Search Primary Care’
• S elect the appropriate service from
the results displayed and select
‘Appointment Search’
• S elect an appointment date and time
(this will be from midnight onwards),
then ‘Book’
• S elect ‘Submit’, then ‘Add Referral
Letter’
• P ress ‘Close’ once the Referral letter
has been added
Once received, all referrals will be triaged
in the normal way and an appointment
will be made for the patient as soon as a
clinic slot becomes available. Details are
sent directly to the patient.
Please note: In order to minimise any
potential confusion for patients, NO
In an endeavour to tackle this problem,
Newcastle’s Dermatologists have
introduced a new referral management
service known as “Consultant First”. This
approach enables GPs to refer patients in
the usual way, but into a ‘dummy slot’.
The Dermatologists can then view the
referral information and make a decision
on the best way forward for each
individual patient.
documentation should be sent to
patients relating to their “dummy”
appointment. A ‘dummy’ appointment
can be identified as one which is booked
into the relevant clinic from midnight
onwards.
We would ask that when booking the
‘dummy’ appointment, GPs inform their
patient that they do not yet have a booked
appointment, and that a communication
will be sent out to them from Newcastle
Dermatology in due course advising
them of their true appointment or other
recommended course of action.
We do hope this is helpful but if you
have any queries please contact our
e-Referral Team:
Lawrence White, NHS
e-Referral Service Manager
 (0191) 244 8632,
 [email protected]
or [email protected]
Rachel Beynon, Senior
Application Support Officer
 0191 282 0914,
 [email protected]
or [email protected]
4
Referral
checklists
introduced
by Newcastle
Dermatology
N
ewcastle Dermatology at the RVI
have introduced a number of
checklists which they hope will help
GPs manage certain groups of
patients more effectively.
The checklists, which have been
introduced for the following conditions:
• acne
• psoriasis
• scalp psoriasis
• eczema and rosacea
They provide GPs with detailed process
maps to assist their management of
patients which we hope will help to
reduce the number of inappropriate
referrals, and enable GPs to offer patients
the most suitable treatment.
Checklists have been sent out to CCGs
and are now available from the Trust’s
website via this link http://www.
newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/services/
dermatology_information-forprofessionals_prereferral-checklists.
aspx
Further copies can be requested
directly from Newcastle Dermatology
by contacting:
Martin Crosby, Assistant
Directorate Manager
 [email protected] or
 0191 282 9859.
‘Excellence
in Paediatric
Asthma Care’
10%
of children suffer from asthma, and each year in
the UK more than 25 children will die from it.
•there needs to be improved communication between
professionals from primary through to tertiary care, to
eliminate the current fragmentation of care which too
easily allows severe disease to be under appreciated
Almost all deaths in children have potentially avoidable factors.
Yet children and young people continue to die from asthma in
our region, and approximately half of these deaths occur in
children with mild to moderate asthma who are being managed
in primary care.
These helped to form the foundations for the NEPP’s first
project - to develop the NEPP Asthma Network.
Dr Jennifer Townshend, Consultant Paediatrician at the Great
North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle explains: “We aspire to
provide ‘Excellence in Paediatric Asthma Care’ and are delighted
to have developed an online resource available for all health
professionals with access to a number of documents and videos
to assist in the diagnosis and management of paediatric asthma.
Dr Kate Cushing, a GP in Newcastle and Clinical Lead for
Children and Young People at NHS Newcastle Gateshead CCG
explains: “Each asthma related death is a horrific tragedy and
profoundly affects families and the local communities in which
they live.
“During 2014 - the same year that the National Review of
Asthma Deaths was published - a teenage girl tragically died
from an acute attack of asthma in Tyneside. She was well known
to many healthcare professionals but sadly, her asthma remained
of high risk to her.
“The resource also offers patient education and information on
self-management with a direct link to a specialist asthma nurse
for advice and queries.”
This resource is available at www.beatasthma.co.uk (entry
through the ‘Health Professional Paediatrics’ link) as well as
GPTeamNet.
“In response to the national review, and spurred on by this local
tragedy, the region’s health community formed the North East
Paediatric Partnership (NEPP), with the aim of providing tools to
allow professionals deliver excellent, consistent and uniformly
agreed paediatric care, irrespective of CCG and Trust boundaries.”
Dr Townshend adds: “This user-friendly resource is for use each
time you see a child with asthma. It will ensure their care meets
the recommendations and will hopefully go some way to prevent
avoidable deaths in our Region in the future.”
The NEPP will cover all common paediatric conditions - the first
focus has been asthma.
For any queries or comments please contact:
The main themes of the National Review of Asthma Deaths were:
•the basics of asthma management need to be done, and
done well
•patients need to be educated and empowered to self
manage their asthma
Dr Jennifer Townshend, Consultant Paediatrician
who can be contacted on
 [email protected]
One-Stop Clinic for Children with Asthma
R
espiratory experts at the Great North Children’s
Hospital now offer a one stop nurse led clinic for
children with a diagnosis of asthma.
discussion with the patient and/or their family. Following the
review, a decision will be made by the nurse regarding follow
up arrangements.
It is hoped that this approach can help to address many of the
recommendations made as a result of the National Review of
Asthma Deaths (NRAD) report by raising awareness and
improving the basics of asthma management.
We expect that the majority of those reviewed will be
discharged back into the care of their GP, with some needing
referral into the general paediatric service and a few needing
specialist paediatric respiratory care.
The clinic aims to improve knowledge of the condition, the
medications used, how to self-manage, how to recognise the
signs and symptoms of an acute attack and when to seek help.
BTS/SIGN guidelines suggest that nurse led interventions
targeting particular groups of patients, often show benefits.
Referrals should be made via NHS e-Referral and
any queries are welcomed by:
The one stop nurse led clinic will review children on a once
only basis. During the appointment, an asthma control test will
be taken, the basics of asthma management discussed,
education given and a management plan compiled following
Sally Hails, Nurse Specialist for the Children’s
Respiratory Service who can be contacted on
 0191 2929721 or  [email protected]
5
Newcastle’s Rheumatology
experts scoop national
charity awards
T
hree members of the Freeman Hospital’s Rheumatology
team have won national awards having been voted
by patients who have benefited from their care.
First up, Michelle
Rutherford, a Clinical
Nurse Specialist has
won ‘Best Care provided
by a Rheumatology
Nurse’ in the Patients’
Choice Awards from
the National Ankylosing
Spondylitis Society
(NASS). The awards
were voted for online by
patients who nominated
health care professionals
who have gone above
and beyond the call of
duty to help people with
ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Introducing our
Learning Disability
Nurse Specialist in
Sexual Health
F
Patients felt Michelle
went out of her way to
provide excellent care to her patients with comments including:
ollowing an internal service review and a public
consultation regarding Sexual Health Service provision
within Newcastle, it was identified that more needed to
be done to support people who have a learning disability.
“Michelle has been my nurse for 5 years and always goes the
extra mile to ensure all her patients are well looked after. She
always has a smile on her face and has always returned my
phone calls. She is indispensable... it is no exaggeration to say
she has helped change my life.”
Amanda Holmes is now appointed as Learning Disability/Sexual
Health Nurse and is based at New Croft Centre in Newcastle’s
city centre.
Since commencing her role, Amanda has developed pathways
to support people with a learning disability to access Sexual
Health Services. She has established links with many of the
learning disability service providers in Newcastle and with
various teams and departments across Social Services,
Children’s Services, Maternity Services, School Health as well as
many voluntary organisations. It is hoped that these links will
strengthen access for those individuals who tend to experience
difficulty in accessing mainstream services.
Amanda will undertake all necessary training to become a
qualified Sexual Health Practitioner in order to provide
individualised care and specialist interventions for patients
who have a learning disability both within New Croft and the
wider community. At present Amanda is providing 1:1 support,
advice and education for individuals who have a learning
disability around issues such as the importance of maintaining
good sexual health, healthy relationships, consent,
contraception and cervical screening.
l-r: Karl Nicholl and Dr Martin Lee
Next up is Consultant Rheumatologist Dr Martin Lee and Nurse
Specialist Karl Nicholl who have won a National Rheumatology
Arthritis Society (NRAS) Healthcare Champion Award.
The Healthcare Champion Awards recognise the dedication and
professionalism patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) receive from the healthcare
professionals in this field, to help them cope with their condition
and get the best possible outcomes.
Amanda is also providing 1:1 support with clients who find
attending clinic appointments difficult and prefer to have care
and treatment within their own homes or community setting
working in partnership with the mobile outreach team and
facilitating appointments within New Croft where appropriate.
Phil Powell, Directorate Manager for Newcastle’s Musculo
Skeletal Services says: “This is a fantastic achievement for the
Rheumatology speciality as a whole and for Michelle, Karl and
Martin individually.
To make or discuss a referral please contact Amanda Holmes
direct at New Croft Sexual Health.
“Their national recognition highlights the exceptional care that
the team provide to their patients on a daily basis and re-affirms
the deserved reputation of the service.”
 0191 2826706/2826504 or
 [email protected]
Congratulations to Michelle, Karl and Martin, you deserve to be
justifiably very proud!
6
Fast Track Service for Vocational
Drivers with Suspected Obstructive
Sleep Apnoea (OSA) – an update
T
he Newcastle Regional Sleep Service based at the Freeman Hospital
established a 4 Week Fast Track Investigation and Treatment Service for
Vocational Drivers with suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea 18 months ago.
This streamlined, expedited pathway of
investigation and treatment, was set up
in response to revised Guidelines from the
DVLA requiring drivers with suspected
OSA and sleepiness sufficient to impair
driving safely to cease from driving until
investigated and treated.
Many symptomatic individuals who would
benefit from OSA treatment are reluctant
to come forward due to fear of possible
employment consequences – particularly
if extended delays for investigation and
review are anticipated. The assurance
that this expedited service provides with
enhanced access to speedy diagnosis and
treatment, will hopefully reduce these
concerns.
The Sleep Service review of the first
cohort of drivers investigated under this
expedited route indicated that a nurse-led
service navigating patients through a
combined investigation / treatment and
review sequence allowed all aspects of the
process to be completed successfully
within the identified 4 week timeframe,
including a decision on resuming driving
following a trial of CPAP.
The positive findings have been presented
at a recent meeting of the British Thoracic
Society and identified by the RAC and
other road safety groups as a progressive
example of how NHS services can be
responsive to meeting identified clinical
needs with important public safety and
other outcomes.
People with OSA typically present with
loud snoring, observed pauses in
breathing, restlessnes or unrefreshing
sleep and daytime sleepiness. The
Epworth Sleepiness Score and STOPBang
Questionnaire (available online) are quick
and useful tools in identifying individuals
who might have OSA.
Multiple studies have shown that road
traffic accidents are more common in
people with untreated OSA (estimates
range from 3 to 9 times greater). The
British Lung Foundation in 2013 however
estimated 80% of individuals with OSA
are undiagnosed.
If you have a vocational driver who
you suspect could have OSA with
daytime sleepiness please refer them
DIRECTLY marking your referral FAST
TRACK to:
OSA is more common in men and
increases with age and obesity.
Professional drivers, particularly HGV and
PSV drivers, typically fall into these
categories. The prevalence of OSA in this
group is thus higher than the average
across the population as a whole. The
current estimate of OSA in HGV drivers is
15% (75,000 of the estimated 500,000
lorry drivers in the UK).
Newcastle Hospitals @
Manor Walks, Cramlington
Please note: Using e:Referral for
these patients does not access the
expedited 4 Week Fast Track Service.
Plastic Surgery Clinic
T
he new, state of the art outpatient centre at the Manor
Walks Shopping and Leisure Centre in Cramlington has
just celebrated its first anniversary and is proving to be a
huge success.
T
his clinic is run by Consultant Plastic Surgeon Mr
David Sainsbury, at Manor Walks Health Centre,
Cramlington for adult plastics patients who meet the
criteria outlined below:
Patients / conditions suitable for referral:
• Patients aged 16 or over
Patients who have used the centre have remarked upon the
superb standards of the facilities and the staff, and the
convenience and ease of access.
• General Plastics patients
• Functional facial problems and visible facial difference
We are currently running a number of clinics from Newcastle
Hospitals @ Manor Walks, specially chosen as having high
attendances from patients living in and around the South
• Ear anomalies
Patients / conditions not suitable for referral:
• Patients under 16
Northumberland area, including:
•
•
•
•
Dr Sophie West, Lead Consultant,
Newcastle Regional Sleep Service
on Fax 01912137397 or email the
Sleep Service Administrator on
 [email protected].
• Hands
Audiology and ENT (including Specialist Nurse Clinics)
Dermatology (including a Melanoma Screening Clinic)
Ophthalmology (Macular Service Clinic)
Plastic Surgery Clinic
• Breasts
• Patients requiring an x-ray
Patients should be referred via NHS e:Referral.
Search under specialty “Surgery Plastic” and clinic type
“minor plastic” or “not otherwise specified”.
We also offer Chemotherapy Closer to Home clinics provided by
our specially trained nursing staff from the Freeman Hospital’s
Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC).
Under ‘Organisation or Site Name’ type in NUTH and the
option of ‘Newcastle Hospitals at Cramlington’ will
come up.
In each edition of GP Matters we shall publish a feature on the
clinics provided there. This issue features:
7
New Consultant Appointments
Mr David Sainsbury joins the
RVI’s Plastic Surgery team
having completed a fellowship
in Canada, and Advanced
Training in Cleft Lip and
Palate across the UK.
David says he thoroughly enjoyed living
and working in Newcastle throughout his
training and is delighted to return. He says:
“I believe the Plastic Surgery Department in
Newcastle delivers world-class reconstructive
surgery, is highly innovative and
collaborates with many specialties across
the region. Furthermore, I am delighted
and proud to work within the Cleft Team
which is a truly multidisciplinary service.”
David’s main subspecialty interests are
cleft lip and palate, ear reconstruction,
managing any formation of visible facial
difference and skin cancer. He aspires to
provide the best possible care for patients
with a cleft lip / palate or any form of
visible facial difference to allow individuals
to fully maximise their potential and
achieve a happy and fulfilling life.
“I am particularly keen to establish a
multidisciplinary ear reconstruction service
in Newcastle. We are aiming to improve
access for newborn babies with ear
deformities so that non-surgical techniques
(such as using ear splints in the neonatal
period) may be applied in appropriate
cases and support given to families.”
Dr Dan Saleh has also joined
Newcastle’s Plastic Surgery
team specialising in head,
neck and facial surgery.
Having trained in Yorkshire, South Africa
and Australia, Dan says he was attracted
to the North East as an outstanding area
to live in with great beaches. But there is
another ‘Outstanding’ reason too. Dan
explains:
“The Plastics Department at the RVI is
renowned as one of the best in the
country and is heavily involved in my
specialist interest areas of mucosal,
salivary and skin malignancy and facial
reconstruction following injury or cancer,
including deformity and paralysis in
Miss Anca Nita is the latest
Ophthalmologist to join the
Newcastle Eye Centre.
Originally from Romania, Anca has trained
in in her home country as well as India
and across the UK. Having carried out a
Glaucoma fellowship in Leicester, Anca
joined the Glaucoma team at the RVI.
Anca says: “I decided to locate to the
beautiful city of Newcastle with my
family because I was attracted to the
good reputation of the RVI, as well as
the strong, active research collaboration
with Newcastle University.”
Anca specialises in both Glaucoma and
complex cataract surgery and has a special
interest in developing new ways of delivering
glaucoma care. She says “Treatment
pathways and guidelines for Glaucoma
are updated regularly and we as a team
liaise with our primary care colleagues as
often as we need to, to make sure they
are kept abreast of any changes which
may affect their practice. We hope GPs
find this works well but are happy to
hear of any suggested improvements.”
As well as the RVI’s Newcastle Eye Centre,
Miss Nita holds a clinic at the Fell Tower Medical
Centre in Low Fell on Monday afternoons.
8
adults. I will also cover a general plastic
surgical commitment and hope to work
closely with my colleagues to develop
existing services and research areas in
head and neck skin cancer/functional
outcomes in reconstructive surgery.
“I would also like to link with primary care
to try streamline the skin cancer pathways
i.e. use of telemedicine or even rapid
access initiatives because I think there is
much crossover with primary and secondary
care for patients that have cutaneous
lesions. Secondary care needs to harness
the skin cancer skills available in General
Practice so we can be effective together.
I also think it would be useful to have joint
teaching sessions so as groups we better
understand what we do for our patients.”