How our team works
We strongly believe that our patients receive the best
care when we work together as a team. The organisation of our
clinical team reflects this. The team consists of doctors from a
range of specialties, including surgeons, anaesthetists,
oncologists, radiologists and pathologists, as well as nurses,
dietitians, physiotherapists and administrative staff. The core
team members are shown below.
Our approach means that our patients may be treated by any of
the team members. Therefore, if you are a patient, you may see
different doctors at different points in your journey. For example,
you may see Mr Barham in clinic, and may have surgery under the
care of Mr Titcomb. Organising our team this way allows us to make
sure that we provide 24/7 specialist care, and helps us to share
the workload within the team to minimise waiting times for
treatment.
Surgical consultants
We can be contacted via our secretarial team on 0117 342
4007.
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Mr Paul Wilkerson
I studied medicine at St George's Hospital and undertook my
surgical training in London. I have been a consultant upper GI
surgeon in Bristol since 2015, specialising in minimally invasive
and endoscopic treatments of oesophageal and gastric disease. As
well as providing upper GI cancer care, I am working to improve
care quality for Barrett's oesophagus (a condition that is linked
with an increased risk of developing oesophageal cancer). I am the
surgical lead for emergency laparotomy as part of a
multidisciplinary team working to improve quality of care for high
risk emergency surgery. I am also the Medical Information Officer
for the Division of Surgery, and am driven to integrate digital
change into how we deliver clinical care.
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Mr Dan Titcomb
I graduated in medicine from the University of Bristol and
completed my specialist surgical training in the South West region.
I was awarded an Association of Upper GI Surgeons travelling
fellowship in 2009, to train in advanced minimally invasive upper
GI cancer surgery at the Cancer Institute Hospital, Tokyo. I have
also undertaken minimally invasive training courses in Versailles
and Gothenburg. I was appointed as a Consultant Upper GI surgeon in
Gloucestershire in 2009 before taking up my Consultant post in
Bristol in 2010. I have a special interest in the management of
dysplastic Barrett's oesophagus and helped establish the endoscopic
service for this condition after my appointment. I also have a
special interest in minimally invasive oesophagogastric cancer
surgery and have been international faculty helping train
colleagues to perform these surgical techniques in both the United
Kingdom and Europe.
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Mr Sean Strong
I graduated in medicine from the University of Southampton and
undertook my specialist surgical training in the South West region.
During my training I completed a PhD at the Centre for Surgical
Research at the University of Bristol, which included a research
fellowship award from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. My
research interests have included maximising recruitment to trials
in surgical oncology. After completing my specialist training, I
undertook a fellowship at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
This focused on minimally-invasive and robotic techniques for the
treatment of oesophago-gastric cancer.
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Mr Andrew Hollowood
I studied medicine at the University of Birmingham and undertook
my surgical training in the South West. I started as a consultant
Upper GI Surgeon Bristol in 2006, specialising in minimally
invasive and endoscopic treatments of oesophageal and gastric
disease, having completed a clinical placement at the National
Cancer Centre in Tokyo, Japan. During my training I completed a PhD
examining the role of growth factors in the development of
oesophageal cancer. As well as providing general and
oesophago-gastric cancer care, I am the Associate Medical Director
and Lead for Strategy at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston,
having previously held the post of Clinical Chair for the division
of Surgery Head and Neck.
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Mr Ben Byrne
I graduated from Cambridge University in 2004, and undertook my
surgical training in both the Wessex and Severn regions. I recently
completed a Royal College of Surgeons Oesophago-Gastric Cancer
Fellowship at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Alongside my clinical
training, I completed a PhD at Imperial College London, using mixed
methods to study the performance of surgical units. I subsequently
continued to conduct surgical research at the University of Bristol
examining the relationship between clinical trials and usual
practice. I started working as a consultant in Bristol in 2020. My
research profile is available
here.
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Miss Natalie Blencowe
I graduated from Nottingham University in 2003 and completed my
basic and higher surgical training in the South West. I started as
a consultant in 2020 and am also an MRC Clinician Scientist and
Senior Lecturer in Clinical Trials. I am a Royal College of
Surgeons associate Surgical Specialty Lead for Oesophago-gastric
research and am currently research lead for the Roux Group. I have
been involved in the design and conduct of the ROMIO (Randomized
Oesophagectomy: Minimally Invasive or Open), By-Band-Sleeve,
Bluebelle (wound dressings) and Sunflower studies. More information
about my research is available at the University of Bristol by
clicking
here.
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Clinical nurse specialists
You can contact one of our nurse specialists via:
- Telephone: 0117 342 3004
- Bleep: 0117 923 0000, bleep 2049
- Email: upperGInurses@uhbw.nhs.uk
We work office hours, Monday to Friday. It is usually easier to
reach us in the afternoons, as we are in clinic Monday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday mornings.

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Mrs Karen Clemett
I have over 30 years of nursing experience in varied
specialties, working and managing ward areas and then working a
Clinical Nurse Specialist role.
I joined the oesophago-gastric team 5 years ago. I enjoy being
part of the Clinical Nurse Specialist team, supporting and caring
for this group of patients. Our nursing team have led and been
involved in many service improvements for our patients. Our aim is
always to give good quality care and improve patient
experience.
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Mrs Ruth Harding
I am the lead Upper GI Nurse Specialist at UBHW and have been in
this role for 10 years since my relocation from the
north-west. I graduated from the University of Liverpool with
Bachelor of Nursing Degree (Hons) in 2000 and worked for 12 years
as a sister in general surgery and colorectal surgery, before
moving to the south-west to be closer to family.
I have developed and run a nurse led clinic service in Bristol,
caring for patients with oesophago-gastric and hepatobiliary
cancers. Our specialist nursing team have been involved in
leading many service improvements here including our
prehabilitation service.
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Miss Carly Pillinger
I graduated in Adult Nursing from the University West of England
in 2009. I have 6 years experience working on the specialist Upper
GI surgical ward here at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. In 2015 I
took up the role of Upper GI CNS. As part of the specialist nursing
team we aim to support patients and improve patient care and
experience, whilst being involved in many service improvements
within the multi-disciplinary team.
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Nurse endoscopists
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Julian Layhe
I graduated from the University of Chester in 2010 with a degree
in Adult Nursing and worked for 3 years as a Registered Nurse in
day surgery and endoscopy in the Isle of Man. I moved to Bristol in
2013 and joined the endoscopy nursing team here at the Bristol
Royal Infirmary, assisting in a range of diagnostic and therapeutic
endoscopic procedures. Wishing to take my passion for endoscopy
further I trained as a Nurse Endoscopist in 2018 at King's College
London, gaining accreditation to perform independent diagnostic
gastroscopy procedures. I am currently studying towards my MSc in
Advanced Practice at The University of the West of England and plan
to train in both Upper GI therapeutics and diagnostic lower GI
endoscopy in the coming years.
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Miss Trudy Reed
I graduated in Adult Nursing from City University, London
in 1999 and worked as a Staff Nurse and Senior Staff Nurse in
Hepatology at UCLH for 5 years before moving to Bristol to take up
a post in Upper GI Surgery. I was the Upper GI Ward Sister at the
Bristol Royal Infirmary for 10 years, whilst completing a Masters
in Advanced Nursing Practice. In 2014 I became an Advanced Nurse
Practitioner in Upper GI surgery, responsible for managing the
Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Programme. In 2016 I took part in
Heath Education England's pilot Accelerated Non-Medical Endoscopy
training programme and have worked as an Endoscopist at UHBW since.
I help provide the diagnostic and therapeutic service across the
Bristol Royal Infirmary and South Bristol Community Hospital sites.
I have a special interest in Barrett's oesophagus (early changes in
the cells of the oesophagus, see information pages here) and help deliver the
Barrett's Oesophagus surveillance programme.
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Dietitian
Mr Tom Lander
Physiotherapists

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Mr Andy Boult
I have worked for the NHS since 2004 and have spent the last 8
years specialising in post-operative physiotherapy. I take great
satisfaction in my job and feel very grateful to be part of such a
fantastic team.
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Photo
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Mr Tom Lunn
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Enhanced recovery nurse practitioner
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Mrs Michelle Brack
I started my nursing career in Suffolk as a nursing assistant in
2002. I studied Adult Nursing at the University of West England,
graduating in February 2010. I worked as a Registered Nurse in
vascular, urology and thoracic surgery at the Bristol Royal
Infirmary and Royal Devon and Exeter hospitals. I have worked in
pre-operative assessment and surgical admissions as a senior staff
nurse for over six years, including mentoring students and
implementing video pre-operative assessments and the associated
electronic patient record. In my current post, I am an Enhanced
Recovery Nurse Practitioner, helping improve patient pathways and
accelerate recovery after surgery across several specialties
including oesopahgo-gastric surgery.
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Oncologists
Dr Tom Bird
Dr Stephen Falk
Dr Helen Winter
Anaesthetists
We provide our surgical service working with a large team of
anaesthetists. For our major cancer operations, we most often
operate with the following anaesthetists.
Dr Ben Howes
Dr Kathryn Jackson
Dr Andrew McIndoe
Radiologists
Prof Mark Callaway
Dr Hedvig Karteszi
Dr Huw Roach
Dr David Wilson
Histopathologist
Dr Sohie Beavers
Dr Behrang Moazayni
Dr Newton Wong
Secretaries
Mrs Karen Wilsdon, contactable on 0117 342 4007
Ms Chiara Scodro, contactable on 0117 342 4942