Maxillofacial surgery

One of the busiest in the UK, the QVH maxillofacial surgery department has nine consultant surgeons supported by surgical staff, specialist nurses, dietitians, physiotherapists, psychological therapists and speech and language therapists and is based in a new modular building on the East Grinstead site.

Our maxillofacial consultant surgeons have a number of interests in the sub-specialisms of their services including head and neck cancer, orthognathic surgery, trauma, salivary glands and surgical dermatology. The service is also provided across a widely distributed network hosted in acute trusts and community hospitals.

From 3 April 2017, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust brought together its inpatient and emergency service for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with our service at QVH. Inpatient procedures and pre-assessments for surgery are now carried out at our site in East Grinstead.

Our Macmillan Head and Neck Clinical Nurse Specialists, Clare Lancaster, Bincey Joseph and Michelle Dubber, act as a point of contact for patients, relatives, carers and other healthcare professionals and coordinates care and psychological support for patients receiving treatment for head, neck and thyroid cancer at QVH.

Patient information video

Awake fibre-optic intubation (AFOI) for maxillofacial surgery

Clinical effectiveness

Orthognathic (jaw surgery) outcomes

Orthognathic surgery is a complex process, taking approximately two years, which usually involves a treatment program comprising of a pre-operative orthodontic phase, a surgical phase, and then a post-operative orthodontic phase. You can find a pathway explaining this here.

We collect PROM data (patient recorded outcome measures) from our patients at the end of their treatment, and then at two years post treatment and five years post treatment to assess the quality of orthognathic surgical care by surgeon and satisfaction with facial appearance by surgeon. The British Orthodontic Society has created short films about jaw surgery you can find online.

Page last updated: 10 April 2024.

Mr Keith Altman

Surgical Interests: Mr Keith Altman has an international and national reputation for facial feminization surgery in transgender females and has authored papers and book chapters on this subject. His other main interests are orthognathic surgery, skin cancer surgery, salivary gland surgery and jaw joint disorders.

Mr Altman graduated in both dentistry and medicine from King’s College Hospital, University of London and holds an Award in Medical Leadership (2012) and Diploma of Legal Medicine (2014). He undertook his specialty training at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton and The Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford.

Keith was appointed as Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon to Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust in 1997 and was Deputy Medical Director and Lead for Revalidation & Appraisal 2013-17. He was appointed to The Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 2017.

Nationally, he has been an Intercollegiate Specialty Examiner in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery since 2016.

Keith was medical director at QVH from October 2019 until January 2022.

Mr Brian Bisase

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.

Mr Aakshay Gulati

Specialist interests: Head and neck oncology and microvascular facial reconstruction, surgical dermatology and reconstruction, salivary gland surgery, complex oral surgery and implantology.

Mr Aakshay Gulati is a dually qualified oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery in 1996 and worked in a series of hospital posts in oral surgery around the London region for five years, successfully obtaining the Fellowship in Dental Surgery (FDSRCS), awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2001.

Thereafter he graduated in Medicine (MBBS) from King’s College London in 2006 and completed generic surgical training, which culminated in the Membership of Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) in 2009. His higher surgical training in oral and maxillofacial surgery was based in the south coast of England and this led to the award of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (FRCS-OMFS) in 2014. He has completed a head and neck and microvascular reconstruction fellowship in a renowned centre in Munich in 2012 and was subsequently also selected for the highly coveted national interface head and neck fellowships. He has also developed an interest in implantology and has completed advanced training in the field.

Mr Gulati has a keen interest in promoting higher education and regularly lectures regionally and internationally. He holds workshops in the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery, head and neck oncology and implantology. He is currently the Training Programme Director for OMFS across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and a member of the Specialist Advisory Committee for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in UK. Mr Gulati is also an executive officer of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.

His clinics are based in East Grinstead and the Medway region, and he is also a core member of the West Kent Head and Neck Multidisciplinary team.

Page last updated: 31 January 2024.

Dr Ginny Kingsmill

Special interest: Rehabilitation of patients after surgery for mouth cancer.

Dr Ginny Kingsmill BDS PhD FDSRCS (Rest Dent) is a specialist in restorative dentistry and works as a consultant at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead.

Ginny qualified in dentistry from Guy’s Hospital in 1991, completing a PhD at University College London in 1996 before becoming first a lecturer then senior lecturer at Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. She completed a five year specialist training programme in Restorative Dentistry in 2003 and worked at Barts & The London for 17 years and St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester.

More recently Ginny has been supervisor and examiner for MSc students of Health Education at the University of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Ginny acts as a referee for scientific journals and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Maxillofacial Prosthetics and Technology and the advisory board for the charity Facial Palsy UK. In 2002 she was the first non-medically qualified researcher to receive a Clinician Scientist Award from the Department of Health for her work into osteoporosis. She is a committed environmentalist and has lectured both in the UK and abroad.

GDC No. 66413

Mr Nikhil Maini

Specialist Interests: Orthognathic surgery for jaw discrepancies skin cancer, complex oral surgery, maxillofacial trauma, facial feminisation surgery.

Mr Nikhil Maini graduated in both medicine and dentistry from the University of Glasgow. After completing his surgical training in Scotland, he undertook his higher surgical training in oral and maxillofacial surgery here at Queen Victoria Hospital East Grinstead, at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and at Eastbourne Hospital. This led to the award of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2018.

Mr Maini is one of the only surgeons in the UK to have comprehensive formal training in facial feminisation surgery, through his work with Keith Altman. Mr Maini is a member of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and a member of the East Sussex Skin Cancer Multidisciplinary Team.

Mr Maini is also a member of the Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery Group at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.  He is a clinical and educational supervisor for both doctors and dentists in training.

Mr Maini’s other clinics are based in Brighton, Eastbourne and Uckfield.

Mr Laurence Newman

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

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 Zaid Sadiq

Mr Zaid Sadiq is a consultant Oral and Maxillofacial/Head and Neck Surgeon. Prior to joining Queen Victoria Hospital in 2020, he worked as a consultant at University College London Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

He qualified in both dentistry and medicine. Mr Sadiq completed higher surgical training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the London KSS region. He completed a Head and Neck reconstruction fellowship in Edinburgh and is accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Mr Sadiq is an honorary lecturer at University College London. His clinical interests include facial trauma, head and neck cancer, reconstructive surgery and the legal aspects of medical practice.  He has authored many scientific articles and contributed to various surgical books on head and neck surgery.

Page last updated: 5 February 2024.

Mr Mayank Shastri

Specialist interests: Orthognathic surgery (jaw deformity), complex oral surgery, head and neck trauma, benign salivary gland disease and skin cancer surgery

Mr Mayank Shastri is a Consultant in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.  After graduating in Dentistry from the University of Manchester, he went on to complete a number of posts in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in central London teaching hospitals.  He graduated in Medicine with distinction in Clinical Sciences from Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, before undertaking academic foundation training in London, followed by higher surgical training in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Guildford and East Grinstead.

He is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, a member of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a member of the British Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons.  Throughout his training, he has published and presented research works nationally and internationally and been awarded a number of academic prizes.  As an academic and clinical supervisor, he is thoroughly invested in training junior doctors and is an examiner for the MFDSRCS (Eng) examination.

Page updated: 10 April 2024

Mr Mike Shelley

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

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 Stefano Stea

Specialist interests: Temporomandibular joint disorder; orthognathic surgery and dentoalveolar surgery.

Mr Stefano Stea has degrees in both dentistry and medicine from the University of Bologna, Italy. He then specialised in maxillofacial surgery at the University of Parma, Italy. Mr Stea completed his qualifications with the awarding of the European Board of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Diploma. He also has a Master’s in Surgical Therapy for TMJ Disorder.

Mr Stea  is an active member of the British Association of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery (BAOMS); the European Association for Cranio Maxillofacial Surgery (EACMFS); the Italian Maxillofacial Surgery Society (SICMF); and the Italian Medical Society of Great Britain (IMSoGB).

Mr Stea is experienced in all aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery, with special interest in the treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. He is the author of more than 70 published articles and has been a speaker at numerous international scientific conferences.

He joined the staff at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead in January 2019. Mr Stea also consults at clinics in Dartford and Medway hospitals.

Mr John Tighe

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).