Burns

The QVH Burns Unit is a key member of the South East Burns Network which covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex and parts of South London. It provides all levels of adult care and up to high dependency care for children.

In addition, we provide an outpatient clinic, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychological support, rehabilitation for patients recovering from major burn injury and reconstruction clinics to review healed burns. QVH is also expanding its service to managing vascular anomalies in children and adults.

The QVH Outreach Burns Service provides specialist care for those patients within the region with burns that are not able to be transferred to the Burns Unit or for those with smaller burns who can be managed as out-patients nearer to their homes. In addition we have recently established burns clinics in Brighton and plan to establish more in other parts of the region.

The burns team prefer healthcare professionals to contact them directly by telephone (01342 414440) for advice and to speed up the referral of any acute or chronic burn injury for review. Patients with burn scars that impair function or are symptomatic can be referred into the adult or paediatric burn reconstruction clinic by referral letter or using Choose & Book.

Clinical effectiveness

In 2015 the burns service accepted 1,094 adult referrals. Of these, 232 patients required inpatient care and 34 of these needed treatment in our critical care unit. Eight patients received specialist rehabilitation care in our dedicated ‘burns rehabilitation flats’ facility.

We also accepted 934 paediatric burns referrals, 68 of whom required inpatient care on our paediatric ward.

Burns healing in less than 21 days are less likely to be associated with poor long term scars. A shorter burn healing time may reflect better quality of care through dressings, surgery and prevention of infection. In 2015 the average healing time for adult burns was 14 days and the average healing time for paediatric burns was 11 days.

Length of inpatient stay of burns patients is related to the size of their burn, measured as a percentage of their body surface area. We aim that on average, adult patients under the age of 65 should require 1 day inpatient stay per 1% burn. Patients over 65 should require a two-day stay per 1% burn; the length of stay is often complicated by the requirement of complex social care packages which take time to arrange.

Burn wounds healing within 21 days (adult)
QVH target: 100% < 21 days

2015/16: 70.40%
2014/15: 64%
2013/14: 62%
2012/13: 73%
2011/12: 72%
2010/11: 77%

Full details of our patient safety, patient experience and clinical effectiveness measures are published in our annual Quality Report. Find the latest version here.

We also run a burns support group for people affected by burns (treated at QVH or other hospitals. You can find out more here.

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.

Ms Tania Cubison

Specialist interests: Burns; scaring; lower limb trauma reconstruction; microsurgery

Miss Tania Cubison is a military plastic surgeon who first joined Queen Victoria Hospital as an SHO in 1996. Miss Cubison is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and is one of five military doctors currently posted to the trust. As one of a small number of regular army plastic surgeons Lt.Col.Cubison has an operational role and will occasionally be deployed overseas.

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 also specialises in lower limb trauma reconstruction including microsurgery and the surgical management of amputees.

Miss Cubison is the Research lead for Burns and Wound healing, and is the clinical lead in Paediatric Burns and has undertaken studies to evaluate new techniques that may help reduce scarring. She is very involved in teaching burn care in both military and civilian settings, and is also a key member of the prevention committee of the British Burn Association.

Mr Baljit Dheansa

Specialist interests: Burns; scarring; burn reconstruction; skin cancer; leg trauma; breast surgery; vascular anomalies.

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 Royal Sussex County Hospital to support the major trauma centre there and provides specialist plastic surgery input for complex cases there. He also runs burns clinics at Brighton for adults and children and has recently set up joint clinics with paediatric surgeons based at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

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

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.

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.

Ms Nora Nugent

Specialist interests: Burns, microsurgical reconstruction including limb trauma and breast reconstruction, hand surgery, skin cancer, and general plastic surgery

Ms Nora Nugent joined Queen Victoria Hospital in 2012. She is the Lead Clinician for Burns and is responsible for co-ordinating the multi-disciplinary team that looks after all burns patients at QVH. Along with his colleagues, Adam Blackburn, Tania Cubison and Baljit Dheansa she manages all acute burn injuries as well as the reconstruction of burns patients after they have healed.

Nora graduated from University College Dublin and completed specialist plastic surgery training under the auspices of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She has gained further plastic surgical experience in both the U.S.A. and Australia. Training in burn care and surgery was undertaken in Shriners Hospitals for Children – Galveston,Texas. Nora has also completed a plastic surgery fellowship at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney incorporating reconstructive (including microsurgery) and aesthetic surgery and a hand surgery fellowship with Victorian Hand Surgery Associates, Melbourne.

Ms Nugent is a fully qualified plastic surgeon holding the FRCS (Plast) qualification and specialist registration with the General Medical Council. She also holds an Honorary Consultant appointment with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. She is a member of the specialist groups overseeing burn care, lower limb trauma and skin cancer.