Higher OMFS training (HEKSS)
QVH head and neck services are recognised, regionally and nationally, for the specialist expertise offered by our large consultant body. We are recognised by the Royal College of Surgeons as a training centre for head and neck surgical fellows.
QVH also has the largest maxillofacial and general prosthetics laboratory in the country which provides a wide range of support to orthodontists and to maxillofacial and plastic surgeons.
Grade: Higher specialist training (CT2-ST6)
Type of work
In this programme we adopt a variety of learning approaches. These include ward based clinical teaching, exposure to outpatients and theatres at the appropriate identified level, group learning, private study (maxillofacial StRs are timetabled for two flexible learning sessions per week), courses, reflective practice, audit projects, regular teaching specific to year and specialty, but also multi-specialty if appropriate. Attendance at KSS STC regional teaching is also considered mandatory. If the educational supervisor has any concerns about a trainee’s development / progress this will be raised in the first instance with the trainee and subsequently, if necessary with the Training programme Director (TPD), Mr Jeremy Collyer and the Local Faculty Group (LFG) Mr Paul Norris and then through the Local Academic Board (LAB) to the Deanery. This is to ensure that the appropriate support is provided at an early stage, as it is common for trainees to experience difficulties .Specific exam teaching and training (FRCS Maxfax) is also undertaken.
Rotation
We have five maxillofacial specialty registrars at higher level – two working with head and neck oncology, two working with facial deformity and one allocated to trauma.
Head and neck oncology
Four full time consultants with three all day lists per week. Opportunity to attend head and neck MDT clinic in Maidstone. Case load approximately 50 head and neck free flaps per year.
Facial deformity
Four full time consultants with four all day lists per week. Opportunity to attend orthognathic clinic, as well as multi disciplinary facial anomalies clinic and skin MDT. Case load approximately 80 orthognathic cases per year. Dentoalveolar: All consultants support dentoalveolar surgery service. There is plenty of opportunity in clinic and theatre for training in this area.
Trauma
We run a trauma week rota for consultants, StRs are allocated to trauma in blocks to allow for fully supervised training in trauma, both in clinic and in theatre. While allocated to the trauma block the StR still has opportunity to obtain additional exposure to deformity and head and neck oncology if trauma is quiet.
On Call: Maxillofacial StRs run a non resident on call rota – working 1:5 on call, offsite, 2nd oncall to the hospital at night team (matron, anaesthetic StR, surgical CT2). Offsite on call is easier for StRs, less disruptive for home life and avoids undue pressure on training time.
Clinical lead: Mr Ken Sneddon
Mr Brian Bisase
Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon
Specialist interests: Head and neck cancer ablation and reconstruction, including micro-vascular surgery and surgical dermatology and salivary gland disease.
Mr Brian Bisase graduated in dentistry and medicine from the University of London, where he was awarded the Newland Pedley Medal and Scholarship. After completing his surgical training, Mr Bisase undertook higher training in oral and maxillofacial surgery over a five year period, working across the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, Guys and Kings College Hospitals in London, and here at QVH.
He was awarded the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Gold Medal for coming top in the intercollegiate maxillofacial surgery FRCS exams in 2009. He undertook further specialist training in Toronto, Canada and at the Royal Marsden Hospital where he developed experience in thyroid, anterior skull base and sarcoma surgery, laryngo-pharyngeal reconstruction and advanced reconstruction of the complex defect. He joined QVH in January 2012.
Mr Bisase is an active member of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists where he has presented clinical research projects and been published in their journals. He is also published in other peer reviewed journals and plays an active part in research at QVH and collaboration with other hospitals. He is the chair of the Lymphatic Mapping Of Oropharyngeal Cancer (LOOC) Trial Steering Committee for National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and a member of the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) quality assurance and framework group. He was awarded the prestigious British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (BAOMS) surgery prize in 2022.
In addition to his clinical work at QVH, Mr Bisase is the Trust clinical lead for head and neck (H&N) cancer, and the national BAOMS lead Sub Specialist Interest Group (SSIG) for Head and Neck Oncology. He is also clinical lead for head and neck cancer in the Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance. He devotes time to teaching, professional training and steers the clinical outcomes group for head and neck surgery at QVH. He is the national lead for question writing section 1 for the JCIE (Joint Committee for Intercollegiate Examinations) for the FRCS maxillofacial consultant examinations.
Mr Bisase is also project lead for the introduction of a number of programmes aimed at improving patient care such as – Tracheostomy Care and the Enhanced Recovery Programme for patients undergoing major Head and Neck surgery (ERPHN), sentinel node biopsy (SNB) for oral cancer and electrochemotherapy. QVH is the main provider for SNB and only provider for electrochemotherpay services in the South East of England. Together with allied healthcare professionals at QVH, Mr Bisase has introduced a process for collating feedback from patients who have had head and neck cancer surgery at QVH, reported at the time of treatment. This is in response to a recognised lack in patient reported outcome data for this cohort of patients.
Mr Bisase’s major cases are all fully discussed in a multi-disciplinary team, he ensures that they have received sufficient testing for diagnosis and treatment plans are in line with national standards.
Mr Bisase also runs clinics at Horsham and Maidstone hospitals.
Page last updated: 10 January 2024.
Higher OMFS training
QVH head and neck services are recognised, regionally and nationally, for the specialist expertise offered by our large consultant body. We are recognised by the Royal College of Surgeons as a training centre for head and neck surgical fellows.
QVH also has the largest maxillofacial and general prosthetics laboratory in the country which provides a wide range of support to orthodontists and to maxillofacial and plastic surgeons.
Grade: Higher specialist training (CT2-ST6)
Type of work
In this programme we adopt a variety of learning approaches. These include ward based clinical teaching, exposure to outpatients and theatres at the appropriate identified level, group learning, private study (maxillofacial StRs are timetabled for two flexible learning sessions per week), courses, reflective practice, audit projects, regular teaching specific to year and specialty, but also multi-specialty if appropriate. Attendance at KSS STC regional teaching is also considered mandatory. If the educational supervisor has any concerns about a trainee’s development / progress this will be raised in the first instance with the trainee and subsequently, if necessary with the Training programme Director (TPD), Mr Jeremy Collyer and the Local Faculty Group (LFG) Mr Paul Norris and then through the Local Academic Board (LAB) to the Deanery. This is to ensure that the appropriate support is provided at an early stage, as it is common for trainees to experience difficulties .Specific exam teaching and training (FRCS Maxfax) is also undertaken.
Rotation
We have five maxillofacial specialty registrars at higher level – two working with head and neck oncology, two working with facial deformity and one allocated to trauma.
Head and neck oncology
Four full time consultants with three all day lists per week. Opportunity to attend head and neck MDT clinic in Maidstone. Case load approximately 50 head and neck free flaps per year.
Facial deformity
Four full time consultants with four all day lists per week. Opportunity to attend orthognathic clinic, as well as multi disciplinary facial anomalies clinic and skin MDT. Case load approximately 80 orthognathic cases per year. Dentoalveolar: All consultants support dentoalveolar surgery service. There is plenty of opportunity in clinic and theatre for training in this area.
Trauma
We run a trauma week rota for consultants, StRs are allocated to trauma in blocks to allow for fully supervised training in trauma, both in clinic and in theatre. While allocated to the trauma block the StR still has opportunity to obtain additional exposure to deformity and head and neck oncology if trauma is quiet.
On Call: Maxillofacial StRs run a non resident on call rota – working 1:5 on call, offsite, 2nd oncall to the hospital at night team (matron, anaesthetic StR, surgical CT2). Offsite on call is easier for StRs, less disruptive for home life and avoids undue pressure on training time.
Clinical lead: Mr Ken Sneddon
Mr Laurence Newman
Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon
Specialist interest: Maxillofacial surgery
Mr Laurence Newman has been a Consultant Maxillofacial / Head and Neck Surgeon since 1997. His clinical practice is focused on the management of benign and malignant head and neck tumours. He operates on approximately 70 major head and neck cases annually.
He is also the Chair of the head and neck multidisciplinary team at the Kent Oncology Centre.
Mr Newman was a member of the Guideline Development Group at NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) responsible for writing national guidelines for the management of head and neck cancers that were published in 2016.
He has a Master in Laws Degree (LLM) and is actively involved in medicolegal matters, particularly involving clinical negligence. He works closely with NHS Resolution and the NHS Ombudsman.
Mr Newman is currently an Assessor of Examiners for the FRCS examination in Maxillofacial Surgery and was the Chair of the Court of Examiners from 2010-2013. He helps to quality assure the examination process which impacts on patient safety.
Mr Paul Norris
Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon
Specialist interests: Oral and skin malignancy of the head and neck, particularly reconstruction of the post-ablative defect including microvascular surgery; surgery involving salivary gland disease; facial trauma; and dentoalveolar surgery.
Mr Paul Norris works at the world famous Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, Darent Valley Hospital Dartford and Maidstone Hospital.
He graduated in medicine from the University of London (Kings College Hospital) in 1998. As he specialises in the surgical ablation and reconstruction of head and neck cancer patients he also studied dentistry, gaining another degree from the University of London. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of both England and Edinburgh.
After experience in general, vascular, plastics, orthopaedics and urology surgery, Paul entered higher surgical training in oral and maxillofacial surgery working at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge, QVH, University College London Hospital, The Eastman Dental Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He passed the Intercollegiate Examination in Maxillofacial Surgery in March 2007 and has been on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council since September 2008. He took up appointment as a consultant at QVH in November 2008.
Mr Norris devotes a significant amount of time to teaching, professional training and continuing medical education. He lectures internationally and was honoured to be asked to undertake head and neck cancer educational courses recently for the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Qualifications: BDS, MBBS, FDSRCS (Eng), FRCS (Ed), FRCS(OMFS)
Mr Mike Shelley
Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Specialist interests: All aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery with special interests in orthognathic surgery, the treatment of facial deformity including post-traumatic cases, and surgical dermatology.
Mr Mike Shelley read medicine and dentistry at King’s College Hospital, University of London, qualifying in dentistry in 1990 and medicine in 1997. After completing general surgical training he continued his post-graduate experience with higher specialist training in maxillofacial surgery at major centres in the South-East of England, including the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead. He subsequently passed the Intercollegiate Examination in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in March 2006 and has been on the Specialist Register for OMFS of the General Medical Council since February 2007.
After a three year period as a Consultant at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, where he gained invaluable experience in trauma management, Mr Shelley transferred to the renowned Queen Victoria Hospital in January 2010. As well as his duties at East Grinstead he also has peripheral clinics at Darent Valley Hospital, Kent.
Mr Shelley is experienced in all aspects of maxillofacial surgery but he has special interests in the treatment of facial deformity, orthognathic surgery and facial trauma.
Mr Shelley has a commitment to continuing medical education both in terms of his own practice and the teaching of junior surgical and paramedical staff. He has published peer reviewed papers in the medical and scientific literature and has presented and lectured nationally and internationally.
Mr Ken Sneddon
Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon
Specialist interests: Orthognathic surgery and facial reconstruction following trauma
Mr Ken Sneddon qualified in both dentistry and medicine at Kings College Hospital, University of London and obtained his specialist training in maxillofacial surgery at major UK centres in Glasgow, Queen Victoria Hospital and University College Hospital in London.
Mr Sneddon joined Queen Victoria hospital as a Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon in 1999 and is also postgraduate dental tutor at Tunbridge Wells.
Mr Sneddon has special interests in orthognathic surgery and facial reconstruction following trauma.
Mr John Tighe
Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon
Clinical Director for Head and Neck Services
Specialist interests: Management of patients undergoing surgical treatment and reconstruction for head and neck malignancy.
Mr John Tighe is a Consultant Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead and has been in post since 2002.
Mr Tighe is qualified in both dental surgery (U. Bristol 1986) and medicine (U. London 1990) and carried out his higher surgical training locally on the South Thames rotation. As well as his duties at East Grinstead he carries out a peripheral clinic at Uckfield Community Hospital and a rapid access clinic at East Surrey Hospital.
Mr Tighe has a special interest in the management of patients undergoing surgical treatment and reconstruction for head and neck malignancy and is a core member of the Brighton Head and Neck Oncology Multidisciplinary Team. In addition, Mr Tighe carries out a broad spectrum of oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures including salivary gland surgery, surgical dermatology and dental implantology.
His latest major cases show that he ensures all his patients are fully discussed in a multi-disciplinary team, and ensures that they have received sufficient testing for diagnosis and treatment plans.
John Tighe, year ending October 2014:
No. of major surgical procedures: 12 cases.
Pre-treatment multi-disciplinary team discussion: 12 cases (100% of cases).
Resective pathology multi-disciplinary team discussion: 12 cases (100% of cases).
