Brian Wells
Director

Brian was appointed as the Centre's Director in August 2004 having completed 3 years working with the Health Service inspectors, the Audit Commission and the Healthcare Commission. Prior to this Brian served for 21 years within the Army Medical services experiencing overseas postings to Germany and on operations during both the first Gulf War and the conflict in Bosnia.

Brian qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1986 going on to specialise in theatres and anaesthetics. He completed his military career as a senior officer in the role of Military Theatre Manager at the 3 Star Frimley Park Hospital NHS Trust in Camberley, Surrey.

Brian has a long history of working within orthopaedics both within the military and the NHS and is determined to lead The Centre's development into one of the most influential orthopaedics centres both nationally and internationally. Brian is married to Lizzie with 5 children. When not at work Brian likes nothing better than to haul his family off to Padstow dinghy sailing, a hobby he reckons is purpose built for 'fortysomething' year olds!'

Sue King
Director of Nursing

Sue qualified in 1979 and completed her Orthopaedic Course in 1981 at The Rowley Bristow Orthopaedic Hospital. Sue has worked in Germany in a Spinal Injuries Unit, and at the Southampton University NHS Trust on the Trauma & Orthopaedic Unit. Sue's last position before taking up the post of Director of Nursing/Nurse Consultant at SWLEOC, was as a Matron at St Georges Healthcare NHS Trust. Sue completed her DMS in 1999 at Kingston University and her MSc in Clinical Leadership at City University in 2003. Sue also has an Honorary Contract as a Senior Lecturer at Kingston University where she teaches the current Orthopaedic Course.

Mr Gwynne Howell OBE MBBS DipBioMech FRCS FRCS (Orth)
Medical Director and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Gwynne Howell qualified from Charing Cross Hospital Medical School in 1983. He subsequently joined the Royal Navy where he undertook basic surgical training, gaining his FRCS in 1990. He later became the Senior Surgeon in Gibraltar before commencing his Orthopaedic training in Portsmouth, Oxford, Edinburgh and Canada where he spent 1 year at the University of Ontario.

On completion of his training he was appointed Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Royal Hospital Haslar at Gosport in Hampshire in 1998.

Gwynne Howell was appointed Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Mayday University Hospital Croydon in 2002. He was awarded an O.B.E. later that year.

His areas of special interest include primary hip and knee arthroplasty as well as revision arthroplasty.

Steve Thomas
Acting Director of Nursing

Steve qualified as a nurse in 1992. For the next twelve years he worked on the Trauma & Orthopaedic Units at Southampton and St. George’s, Tooting. During this time he helped develop a minor head injuries unit; had the lead for introducing Integrated Care Pathways for patient care; commissioned dedicated beds for planned orthopaedic surgery and opened a Discharge Lounge.

Steve is married to kirsty and they have three children. Brio train tracks, football, pirates, mermaids and dolls tea parties now form a significant part of home life.

The concept of SWLEOC first came to Steve’s attention in 2002 and he became involved in a number of working groups looking at staffing design and equipment needs. He became Deputy Director of Nursing for SWLEOC in 2003 and took a key lead on commissioning the centre. As General Manager, Steve takes more of an operational role at SWLEOC now, responsible for projects and building works; Administrative staff and; all non-pay expenditure including contracts ranging from prosthetics to hand towels and Service Level Agreements for supplying power, blood tests, food and so on. The food is really not his fault though!

Lorna Andrew
Orthopaedic Anaesthetist

Lorna Andrew qualified in 1981, having trained at St Andrews University and Manchester University. She worked in various parts of the country before finishing her anaesthetic training in London. During this time she spent a year anaesthetising at a paediatric orthopaedic hospital in Hong Kong. Lorna was appointed as Consultant Anaesthetist to Queen Mary?s Hospital, Roehampton, in 1993 with a special interest in Intensive Care.

With the merger with Kingston Hospital, she transferred to Kingston Hospital in 1998 and continued working in her fields of Intensive Care and Orthopaedic Anaesthesia. Now she no longer has an active role in Intensive Care but finds the experience and knowledge that she has in that field to be very useful when caring for high-risk elderly patients. Regional anaesthesia for lower limb surgery is Lorna?s special interest and expertise.

Anwar Hussein (BM BCh DPhil FRCA)
Consultant and Honarary Senior Lecturer in Anaesthesia & Critical Care Medicine

Dr Hussein read medicine at Oxford. During his undergraduate training he became interested in research and took time out to undertake studies in circulation and acute pulmonary injury at the Radcliffe Hospital. After completing his PhD thesis he continued his research interests as a postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University, Canada and Vanderbilt University, USA.

He then returned to Oxford to complete his clinical studies and commence anaesthesia training. Postgraduate training in anaesthesia and critical care medicine took place in London where he gained his FRCA in 1996. He was appointed Consultant at St Helier Hospital in 1999. His current interests include critical care and perioperative medicine, and orthopaedic anaesthesia.

Stephanie Couzens
Theatre Manager

Jo Dalton
Theatre Service Manager

Jo joined the SWLEOC Management Team in November 2007 as Service Manager. She previously worked for a NHS Trust and for private sector companies. Jo was awarded a Bachelors Degree and Post-Graduate Degree in Exercise Science in 2002 and continued to gain vocational qualifications afterwards. Jo’s Service Manager position has enabled her to work within all departments at SWLEOC. She is presently working in Theatres assisting the Lead Theatre Practitioner with the staff management, promoting financial effectiveness and improving theatres case efficiency. As well as this, she has been involved in a number of projects to improve patient care and experience, staff motivation and the promotion of a new wireless electronic medical administration system. Jo is engaged to her partner Jen and lives with their two cats. When not at work she is earning her professional status at snowboarding, learning to speak Swedish and improving her golf!

Anna Cronk
Matron

Anna commenced her nurse training in 1984, qualifying in 1987 and immediately starting work in the Orthopaedic Unit at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton. Here Anna worked on a mixed Trauma/Elective ward and later took over the Pre-Assessment Clinic.

Anna continued with Pre-Assessment on transfer to Kingston Hospital and then moved back into the ward environment. Her last post before joining the team at SWLEOC was that of Senior Ward Sister on the Elective Orthopaedic Ward at Kingston. Anna completed her degree in 1998 and is about to start her dissertation for a Masters degree in Nursing.

Dr James Clarke
Director of Innovation and Education

Jane Harrison
Lead Therapist/Clinical Physiotherapy Specialist

Jane qualified as a Physiotherapist in 1987, having trained at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital/ Birmingham University. Jane became a member of the Society of Orthopaedic medicine in 1992.

Jane has worked both in the NHS and in the Private sector, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham; the Accident Hospital in Birmingham; Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge; The Wellington Hospital in London and then at Epsom General Hospital.

Jane was involved in the development of the South West London Elective Orthopaedic centre and was appointed to lead the Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy service to SWLEOC in November 2002.

Mark van Vlokhoven
Lead Radiographer

Kayley Taggart
Service Manager

Kayley is the service manager for the centre and is responsible for the day to day management of the EOC in conjunction with other professional leads in achieving operational performance targets; particularly the 18 week admitted referral to treatment pathway.

Sarah Langfield
Pre-Assessment/Outreach Manager

Sarah qualified in 1991 after completing her nurse training at St James University Hospital Leeds. She then commenced her career in orthopaedic nursing at St James hospital before undertaking the specialist Orthopaedic course at Bradford & Airedale NHS Trust in 1992. Once completed she returned to St James Hospital before moving to London to be with her husband John. After working at the West Middlesex hospital in Isleworth she then took promotion as a sister at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital in London and worked on the Orthopaedic wards and in the fracture & orthopaedic clinic where she helped develop the nurse led pre-assessment unit. In 1998 she completed her MSc in Health Sciences & Clinical Care at Westminster University and took on the role of Service Manager. Sarah left the Chelsea & Westminster 1999 after giving birth to Twin girls. In 2005 Sarah joined SWLEOC as an Advanced Practitioner in pre-assessment before taking on her current role as Outreach Manager. In this role Sarah is responsible for the outpatient services at SWLEOC which includes the one-stop clinics where patients are pre-assessed at the same times as their outpatient appointment if they require an operation. She is also responsible for developing outpatient and pre-assessment services within the community.

Suzanne Tyne
Lead Practitioner, Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

Suzanne qualified in 1992 after completing her Diploma training in Portsmouth, she then worked at St Helier Hospital in acute medicine. Suzanne moved into the field of Critical Care in 1994 when she joined the Intensive Care Unit. Leaving her position as a Senior Sister in Intensive Care, Suzanne helped to set up the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit at SWLEOC in September 2003.

Suzanne is the Lead Advanced Practitioner for PACU, the unit which encompasses recovery, High Dependency and Intensive Care nursing.

Suzanne assists in the development of critical care skills for our staff in partnership with the local Critical Care Network to maintain high standards in nursing care available to our Patients at the Centre.

Christine Dixon
Principal Pharmacist

Chris obtained her Pharmacy degree at Bradford, and then completed her professional training and registration in Liverpool before heading south.

From 1977 to 1984 she worked at Epsom hospitals gaining experience on general surgery, medical, orthopaedic, paediatric, psychiatry and geriatric wards whilst completing the regional Clinical Pharmacy course.

From 1984 until joining SWLEOC in late 2003, Chris was the pharmacy manager at Atkinson Morley's hospital, Wimbledon. Although a Neuroscience unit, this had parallels with SWLEOC as it took referrals from other hospitals, and had a strong multi-disciplinary approach to patient care.