Core surgical training (HEKSS)

Our plastic surgery team is one of the largest in the country and generates a significant part of the surgical activity within the trust.

We have particular expertise in:

• Breast surgery
• Burns
• Hand surgery, including rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, nerve compression and Dupuytren’s contracture.
• Lower limb and general plastics – Lower limb surgery involves both elective and post traumatic limb reconstruction.  We look after a range of patients with lower limb injuries across the Kent, Surrey and Sussex region including elderly patients with pretibial skin loss, open lower limb fractures, patients with infected or exposed joint prostheses and amputees requiring stump adjustments and revisions.  A wide variety of reconstructive techniques are employed in treating these problems from simple wound debridements to free tissue transfers.  A joint orthopaedic and plastic surgery clinic is run monthly for complex cases.
• Skin cancer
• Trauma – QVH accepts referrals for plastic surgery trauma (facial, hand, lower limb, burns) from across the Kent, Surrey and Sussex region.  We have a daily trauma clinic and an extensively used telemedicine service to evaluate and accept referrals.  QVH also has daily CEPOD lists, a dedicated hand trauma list daily Monday to Friday and a dedicated trauma outreach service and operating list for elderly patients with lower limb trauma.

Head and neck surgery is no longer part of the plastic surgery rota as the majority of head and neck surgery is undertaken by the Oral and Maxillofacial surgery Department.   However, there are opportunities for trainees to liaise with the maxillofacial consultants to gain experience in this area and for teaching.  The same opportunities exist with regard to maxillofacial trauma.

Grade:  CT2

Type of Work: The successful applicant will be exposed to elective and emergency plastic surgery patients and will gain experience in how to approach clinical situations in plastic surgery starting from the initial consultant, making the diagnosis, to clerking and preparing the patients for theatre, post-operative management and short, medium and long term follow-up in outpatient clinics.

Name of the position and work needing to be done: Experience will be gained in handling of tissue and managing wounds as well as performing basic plastic surgical procedures particularly in wound debridement and coverage and in hand trauma.  There will be exposure to the team approach within the specialty as well as on multi-disciplinary teams.  This will include attending specialist clinics, assisting in theatre and liaising with other specialities.

Qualifications and professional registration required:

• MBBS or equivalent medical degree
• Level 2 or above at trainee/CT equivalent training
• GMC registration

Anticipated duration of programme: In blocks of six or 12 months. Commencement dates February and August Standard rotation details. The rota is EWTD compliant with registrar support at all times

Clinical lead: Mr Siva Kumar

Outcome of trainee programme i.e. core competencies

Trainees are required to have satisfactorily completed the curriculum requirements as assessed by the annual review of competence progression panel (ARCP).

Mr Adam Blackburn

Specialist Interests: Breast reconstruction, microsurgery, acute burns surgery, skin cancer, trauma and general plastic surgery

Mr Adam Blackburn joined Queen Victoria Hospital in 2012. He graduated from Imperial College School of Medicine, London and underwent basic surgical training at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford. He completed his higher surgical training in plastic surgery in Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he developed his interest in microsurgical reconstruction. In 2010 he was awarded the Bruce Bailey microsurgical trauma fellowship and spent 2 months at one of the busiest and largest trauma hospitals in Asia (The Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, India). He has completed his training with a further 2 years worth of specialist microsurgical fellowships in breast cancer reconstruction at St Thomas’ Hospital, London and Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead.

Mr Blackburn is a fully qualified, UK trained, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon. He has been awarded the intercollegiate fellowship in plastic surgery, FRCS(Plast), and is on the GMC’s specialist register for plastic surgery.

Miss Alexandra Molina

Specialist interests: Microsurgery, breast reconstruction, perineal reconstruction, general plastic surgery.

Miss Alexandra Molina is a UK trained Consultant Plastic Surgeon and is on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery.

She graduated from Cambridge University with Distinction and started her Plastic Surgery training in 2008. During her registrar post in London she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Biomedical Education at St George’s, University of London. In 2015 she was awarded the Intercollegiate Fellowship in Plastic Surgery or FRCS(Plast). For her outstanding performance in these final examinations she was awarded the McGregor ‘Gold’ Medal.

Alex has completed two prestigious microsurgery fellowships at St Thomas’ Hospital, London and QVH. She then worked as a locum consultant, performing principally DIEP breast reconstruction, at the Royal Marsden Hospital, before taking up her permanent post at QVH. Her main interest is in microsurgical breast reconstruction, but she also holds an honorary contract at Darent Valley Hospital, where she is involved in perineal reconstruction after rectal cancer. She runs a peripheral clinic at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, principally to see breast reconstruction patients from East Kent.

In 2017-18 Alex was awarded the Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. She maintains her interest in teaching alongside her clinical commitments, and since January 2022 she has been the Clincal Lead for Breast Reconstruction at QVH. She also has two young children who keep her busy in her spare time!

Miss Anita Hazari

Specialist interests: plastic surgery; breast surgery.

Anita has been a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at QVH since 2006. She is on the specialist Plastic Surgery GMC register. She is a member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and Association of Breast Surgery (ABS)

After being the Breast Oncoplastics Lead for QVH (2008-2012), bringing about policy changes such as need for a screening mammogram in breast reduction patients pre-operatively, Anita represented the South East as a BAPRAS Council member 2013-15. Anita was on the PRASIS Board for 3 years (2014-16) and served as its Executive Chair 2017-18. She was the National Lead (2015-20) for the cross-speciality UK National Flap Registry (UKNFR) a collaboration between 5 surgical speciality associations and produced its first report with over 5,000 cases in December 2019. Anita will complete her three year term as Chair of Plastic Surgery at JCIE (Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations) for FRCS(Plast) examinations in Oct 2023. She will take on the role of JCIE (IQA) Chair for all 10 surgical specialties from January 2024 for three years. Anita has also recently been appointed as Specialist Advisor in Breast Surgery at the CQC (Care Quality Commission).”

In her early years, Anita undertook research in nerve regeneration at the Blond McIndoe Centre, East Grinstead for two years which culminated in a higher degree (MD) from the University of London. The Royal College of Surgeons of England recognised her original work in nerve grafting and awarded a Hunterian Professorship in May 1999. As a specialist registrar in plastic surgery on the pan-Thames /London rotation, she worked in plastic surgery centres in Chelmsford, Royal Free Hospital, Wexham Park Hospital, East Grinstead and Mount Vernon Hospital. Additional training in microsurgery allowed her to develop specialist skills in breast reconstruction. She also spent time at the Christine Kleinert Institute of Hand and Microsurgery, Louisville, USA in 2004 followed by an Upper Limb Fellowship at the Wrightington Hospital, 2005.

She provides a plastic surgery service to East Kent and holds additional clinics in Canterbury. She has a sub-speciality interest in breast reconstructive surgery and provides the whole repertoire of reconstruction including DIEP (abdomen), TUG (inner thigh), Buttock (SGAP), LD (back) flaps in addition to the use of implants.

Anita is keen on all sports in particular running and tennis and has an active family life with her husband and young son.

Qualifications -MBBS,MD, FRCS, FRCS(Plast)

Mr Asit Khandwala

Specialist interests: All aspects of plastic surgery especially hand surgery

Mr Asit Khandwala started in Plastic Surgery in 1989. He has trained both in the UK and India. He trained in Plastic Surgery at the St James University Hospital in Leeds, Charing Cross, Chelsea and Westminster, St Andrew’s Centre for Plastic Surgery in Chelmsford and Queen Mary’s, Roehamptom. He also trained at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. He completed his specialist training and was appointed a Consultant at the Queen Victoria Hospital in 2004. Mr Khandwala is a fully accredited specialist in Plastic Surgery and a full member of the BAPRAS (British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery), BAAPS (British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons) and also a full member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH). Mr Khandwala is also involved with research, audit and education of medical students.

He runs general plastic surgery, skin cancer, breast surgery and hand surgery clinics at Queen Victoria Hospital. He has a special interest in Hand Surgery, especially rheumatoid hands and nerve reconstruction.

Mr Baljit Dheansa

Specialist interests: Burns; scarring; burn reconstruction; skin cancer; breast surgery; scarring, vascular anomalies, breast surgery, children’s plastic & reconstructive surgery.

Mr Baljit Dheansa was appointed as a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the hospital in 2003 having trained at QVH as well as several London teaching hospitals.

He also works at Tunbridge Wells Hospital to support the clinical teams there including specialist plastic surgery input for complex cases there.

In addition to the burns service he has a keen interest in managing patients with skin cancer, scarring, breast surgery, as well as general plastic and reconstructive surgery for adults and children. More recently he has also developed a sub specialist interest in vascular anomalies.

In addition to his Queen Victoria Hospital roles he is a member of the London and South East Burn Operational Delivery Network, British Burns Association Research Committee and the Scar Free Foundation Research Council.

He runs specialist scar clinics, burns reconstruction clinics and also general plastic surgery clinics.

He is a member of the Sussex Skin Cancer Network and South East Burns Network. He is involved in many aspects of research being a member of the Research and Development Committee, and in several clinical trials in the field of burns, as well as supporting basic and translational science projects.

Baljit is committed to training the plastic surgeons of the future and takes an active role in developing the skills of the junior doctor team. He is also an examiner for the specialist FRCS (Plast) examination.

Baljit is a key supporter of the innovative technologies developed at the hospital such as the excellent telemedicine system, having presented to the Parliamentary Health Select Committee on its benefits to patient care. He is a founding member of the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetics Innovation Special Interest Group which aims to help bring new ideas and innovative products to patients requiring plastic surgery.

Mr Charles Nduka

Specialist interests: Facial and breast surgery

Mr Charles Nduka joined Queen Victoria Hospital in 2000 as a Senior House Officer and returned in 2004 as part of his Specialist Registrar programme.

He undertook his surgical training in London teaching Hospitals including the Royal London & St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Charing Cross and Hammersmith Hospitals. He completed his specialist training at the Royal Marsden Hospital. He won the McGregor Gold medal for the Royal College of Surgeons Final Fellowship prize, and one of his research projects won the Hackett prize from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

He undertook further specialist training in France, Brazil and London where he learned modern aesthetic surgery and advanced techniques for facial reanimation following facial paralysis.

Mr Nduka became a Consultant Plastic Surgeon in October 2005 and in April 2006 was appointed as Consultant at QVH. Mr Nduka is a fully accredited specialist in plastic surgery and he is full member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). Mr Nduka is also Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College, London where he researches techniques to improve outcomes in plastic surgery of the face and breasts.

Mr Nduka established the facial palsy service at QVH in 2007 which is a multidisciplinary team comprising specialist facial therapy, psychology and surgery. He maintains an active research interest, particularly in aesthetics, facial aging and facial expression analysis, with many papers published. He is particularly interested in the psychological impact of appearance and surgery.

Mr Nduka co-founded Facial Palsy UK, an organisation which supports people with facial palsy, and is publishing a series of books on facial expressions and health

Miss Jennifer O’Neill

Specialist interests: Skin cancer, hand surgery, reconstructive surgery

Miss Jennifer O’Neill joined Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) as a consultant in 2017.

She graduated from Queens’ College, Cambridge with a 1st class BA Hons degree and then completed clinical medical training at New College, Oxford.

Initial surgical training was completed in London, Brighton, Exeter and East Grinstead. Miss O’Neill then visited Melbourne to perform research (MMed) on the subject of the lymphatic system before taking up a further surgical training post on the South-West plastic surgery training programme (Bristol and Exeter).

Miss O’Neill’s specialist fellowships were the hand surgery fellowship at QVH and a microsurgery fellowship performing free tissue transfer to the lower limb in Bristol. She also completed an interface fellowship in reconstructive and cosmetic Surgery (Training Interface Group) based in Guildford in addition to the Bristol aesthetic fellowship.

Miss O’Neill was awarded both the British and the European hand diplomas following the hand fellowship at QVH.

After becoming a consultant in 2015, Miss O’Neill worked as a hand and skin cancer specialist Locum Consultant at Wexham Park Hospital prior to taking up her current role on the skin cancere at QVH.

Miss O’Neill was previously surgical tutor for plastic surgery for 5 years and part of the simulation faculty. She has now transitioned to the role of guardian for safe working for the junior doctors at QVH.

Miss O’Neill is a fully qualified plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon. She has been awarded the intercollegiate fellowship in plastic surgery and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS Plast). She is on the GMC’s specialist register for plastic surgery and is a member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS).

Mr Mark Pickford

Specialist interest: Hand surgery

Mr Mark Pickford is a Consultant Plastic and Hand Surgeon, subspecialising in the treatment of children with developmental differences. He trained in Plastic Surgery in the UK, and then completed a one-year Hand Surgery fellowship with Harold Kleinert’s group in Louisville, Kentucky (1996-1997).

Mr Pickford runs two hand surgery clinics a week at QVH, one for children, and one for adults. He also runs plastic surgery outpatient services at the Conquest Hospital, once a week on Tuesdays, where skin cancers are the commonest problems being managed.

Besides Children’s hand surgery he also treats Dupuytren’s disease, and a broad spectrum of other common degenerative hand conditions.

Mr Pickford’s interests include hand trauma, surgery for congenital hand differences, management of Dupuytren’s disease including all surgical options and Xiapex/collagenase injection treatment. His work routinely encompasses management of inflammatory arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and also degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) which manifest themselves in the hand. He has an interest in wrist pathology including degenerative conditions and instabilities resulting from injury, and routinely performs arthroscopy examinations and treatments. His work routinely involves the management of nerve compression syndromes in the upper limb.

Mr Pickford’s work for general plastic surgery covers a broad scope ranging from skin cancer management to breast reconstruction using all available techniques (tissue expansion, Latissimus flaps and DIEP flaps).

Mr Martin Jones

Specialist Interests: plastic and reconstructive surgery, skin cancer, and breast reconstruction.

Mr Martin Jones graduated from the University College and Middlesex School of Medicine in 1990 with a 1st Class Honours in Anatomy and Neuroscience. After his general surgical training at St. Georges, London, he qualified as a doctor in 1993.

He then undertook research for his doctoral thesis at the RAFT Institute for Plastic Surgical Research, which took him to Mount Vernon Hospital.

Mr Jones was selected to complete three fellowships in clinical areas that he is now a specialist for. These include a Fellowship in Hand Surgery in Sydney Australia, an Aesthetic Fellowship at The McIndoe Centre and lastly a Microsurgical Fellowship at the Queen Victoria Hospital.

He is on the specialist GMC register as an accredited Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon.

Martin places extreme importance on putting his clients at ease from their very first consultation. He grew up as a child less than four miles away from the Queen Victoria Hospital and went to school in East Grinstead. He is married with two children and still lives locally- he prides himself on being a local man.

Mr Robert Pearl

Mr Robert Pearl is a consultant plastic surgeon with a specialist interest in hand surgery. He studied medicine at Southampton University and underwent basic surgical training at St Mary’s Hospital, London. He trained in plastic surgery at Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, where he completed his Medical Doctorate on treatment of melanoma, before completing the Pan Thames training scheme. This included plastic surgical training at The Royal Free Hospital, London; Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead and St Thomas’ Hospital, London.

He attained the Royal College of Surgeons Fellowship for Plastic Surgery in 2012 for which he was awarded the McGregor Gold Medal.

Mr Pearl’s subspeciality training in hand surgery included fellowships at Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Windsor Hand Clinic and Queen Victoria Hospital, culminating in award of the BSSH Hand Diploma. He is a member of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, and also holds the European Hand Diploma.

Mr Ruben Kannan

Specialist interests: Facial reanimation/restoration and supermicrosurgery

Mr Ruben Kannan is an award-winning consultant plastic surgeon with a doctorate in nanotechnology from University College London and additional diplomas in head and neck surgery as well as legal medicine. He gained entry onto the GMC Specialist Register in Plastic Surgery in 2012 and has completed fellowships in facial reanimation, reconstructive microsurgery, and aesthetics, with advanced training in super-microsurgery (Japan), migraine surgery (USA) and Bell’s palsy surgery (USA).

Having been a consultant in the NHS since 2013, he joined the facial palsy unit at QVH in 2016: the largest and most advanced facial palsy service in the UK. The team treats the most difficult and complex Bell’s palsy patients throughout the country. In 2018 alongside QVH maxillofacial surgeons, he jointly performed the world’s first free tissue transfer for chewing function at QVH. His innovations focus on restoring not only an optimal facial appearance but function as well. Mr Kannan’s defining policy is to restore maximal function with minimalistic surgery: a combination of aesthetic restoration and super-microsurgery (surgery in the sub-1mm realm). These include the Motor End-Plate Innervation (MEPI) concept, the early management of both flaccid and non-flaccid facial palsy, chimeric vascularised nerve flaps, Fibonacci-sequence flaps, ultrasound-guided Botox injections and intra-oral vascularised nerve grafts.

Mr Kannan is a recognised trainer for the prestigious national head and neck surgery TIG fellowship programme at QVH and hosts many international visitors and fellows at QVH. During COVID, he and his colleagues helped QVH set up telemedicine consultation portals for facial palsy patients nationwide. This allows the best care for facial palsy patients, in the comfort of their homes.

Mr Kannan is a full member of the Sir Charles Bell Society and is on the medical advisory board of Facial Palsy UK, and a council member for the Royal Society of Medicine (Plastic Surgery section). He is an expert for the International Microsurgery Club, in addition to being a founder-member of the UK Cranial Nerve Network, the first network of specialists in the world, dedicated to the management of cranial nerves. Mr Kannan is a good listener and seeks to customise treatment on an individual basis, based on discussions with his patients. This allows him and his colleagues to not only rebuild the face but restore some or all its function such as movement, sensation, and the ability to chew; continuing to build on the legacies of both McIndoe and McLaughlin at East Grinstead.

Mr Sam Orkar

Specialist interests: Breast surgery including breast reconstruction and breast asymmetry, skin cancers and problem scars.

Kusu Samuel Orkar was appointed Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at Queen Victoria Hospital on 1 July 2009.

Sam qualified at the University of Jos in Nigeria and was the best graduating student in his year.  He completed the Nigerian and West African training in General Surgery and Plastic Surgery and worked as a Consultant General and Plastic surgeon in Nigeria.  He undertook further training in Plastic Surgery in the UK at the Canniesburn Unit, Glasgow, St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, Chelmsford, Queen Victoria Hospital and the McIndoe Surgical Centre both in East Grinstead.

Sam has done fellowships in breast/microsurgery, hand surgery and cosmetic surgery to further hone his skills.

Sam’s subspecialty interests are breast surgery including reconstruction, skin cancer, and problem scars.  Sam runs clinics at QVH and the Medway Maritime Hospital.

Sam is on the GMC specialist register for plastic surgery and is a member of BAPRAS and BAAPS

Qualifications:

• BM BCh University of Jos, Nigeria
• FMCS(Nig) Fellow Medical College of Surgery, Nigeria
• FWACS (plast) Fellow West African College of Surgeons (plastic surgery)
• FRCS Ed Fellow Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh
• FRCSEd(Plast) Royal College of Surgeons Intercollegiate Fellow(plastic surgery)

Mr Simon Mackey

Specialist interests: Breast reconstruction; cancer reconstruction; microsurgery; skin cancer; general plastic surgery.

Mr Simon Mackey is a UK-trained consultant plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon. He has been awarded the intercollegiate fellowship in plastic surgery, FRCS(Plast), and is on the GMC’s specialist register for plastic surgery. He is a member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

He graduated from Imperial College School of Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital, London. After basic-surgical training in the Oxford Deanery, he was appointed to the pan-Thames higher surgical training scheme in plastic surgery. He completed his training with a specialist fellowship in cancer reconstruction and microsurgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London.

Prior to his appointment at QVH, he had the opportunity to work as a locum consultant at the Royal Marsden and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. These posts offered Mr Mackey additional experience in cancer reconstruction, particularly microsurgical reconstruction of the breast. Mr Mackey was the Clinical Lead for the Breast Reconstruction Service at QVH for 4 years until 2022.

Mr Mackey also holds clinics Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, and Sevenoaks Hospital.

Mr Siva Kumar

Specialist interest:  Skin cancer, post-mohs reconstruction, trauma, breast, laser, general plastic surgery.

Mr Siva Kumar Veeramani is a UK-trained Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic surgeon appointed at Queen Victoria Hospital in 2016.  He has been awarded the intercollegiate fellowship in plastic surgery and is on the General Medical Council specialist register in plastic surgery.

Mr Kumar graduated from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 2005.  He undertook his plastic surgery training at major UK centres in the North of England. He completed his training with three nationally appointed specialist fellowships in skin cancer surgery, trauma surgery and cosmetic surgery.  During his skin cancer fellowship at Leeds, he trained in sentinel node biopsy and the surgical management of patients with advanced melanoma. His trauma surgery fellowship at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham involved the management of both civilian and military trauma. Prior to his appointment at Queen Victoria Hospital, Mr Kumar worked as a locum consultant at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals Foundations Trust specialising in breast reconstruction. These posts offered him additional experience in cancer management and microsurgical reconstruction.

Mr Kumar is the Queen Victoria Hospital’s Clinical Director for Plastic Surgery and Chairperson of the specialist skin cancer multi-disciplinary team.

Mr Kumar holds clinics at Queen Victoria Hospital.

Qualifications: MBBS, BMed.Sci(Hons), MRCS, MBA, FRCS(Plast.)

Miss Tania Cubison

Specialist interests: Burns; surgical management of lower limb amputees

Miss Tania Cubison is a military plastic surgeon who first joined Queen Victoria Hospital as an SHO in 1996 and is now the Trust’s Chief Medical Officer. Miss Cubison is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and is responsible for defence burns training.

Miss Cubison underwent specialist registrar training in East Grinstead and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and was awarded the McGregor Gold medal for the FRCS (Plast) examination in 2006. She completed her training with a specialist burn fellowship at St Andrew’s Burn Centre, Chelmsford and visits to burn centres in the USA.

Miss Cubison has been an active burns consultant since 2008 and is currently national chair of the Senate for the British Burn Association Emergency Management of Severe Burns Faculty.

Specialising in the surgical management of amputees, she has recently been involved with the new technique of targeted muscle reinnervation, which is producing optimistic results in reduction of phantom pain and general stump pain in the amputee population.

Miss Cubison is committed to patient experience and outcomes and particularly how staff behaviour impacts on patient safety. She has been safeguarding lead and has supported training on the Specialist Advisory Committee in Plastic Surgery.

Miss Cubison was Medical Director from January 2022 to October 2024, having previously served as Deputy Medical Director.

Page last updated: 3 October 2024