Date of release: 5 April 2023
A “fantastic” Consultant at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is to become responsible for the training of all the surgeons in the West Midlands.
Mr Andy Garnham, Vascular Consultant and Clinical Director (CD) for General Surgery based at New Cross Hospital, has been made Head of School of Surgery for NHS England, starting in May 2023.
It means Mr Garnham, 57, will be the ‘trainer of the trainers’, responsible for the delivery of all medical and non-medical training across all 10 surgical specialties of some 650 trainee surgeons and Allied Health Professionals in the region. He will be one of 14 Heads of School across the UK, each reporting to a Dean for the organisation delivering high-quality education and training to support the NHS.
Along with Professor Helen Steed, Mr Garnham has been leading Health Education England West Midlands’ (HEWM) combined faculty development programme for the schools of medicine and surgery for one day a week.
But he now steps up to a more senior role on a two-day-a-week secondment. On 1 April, HEE and NHS England legally merged to create a new, single organisation to lead the NHS in England.
“It’s great for me, and excellent recognition for the Trust, as well as being a very exciting challenge,” said Mr Garnham, who lives in Moseley, Birmingham. “In my role we can contribute a lot as individual surgeons, but what’s more important at the end of your career is leaving a legacy behind to the people who are going to pick up the work in the future. I can now do that as Head of School.”
Mr Garnham also said thanks to the senior management at RWT for the encouragement he has received. He added: “If the Trust and indeed my colleagues hadn’t have been supportive of me doing this, I wouldn’t have got anywhere this far.
“The executives have been incredibly supportive of these things, and thankfully they can see the value of them because they all reflect brilliantly on the organisation and bring something positive back to the Trust.”
Ruth Horton, Group Manager, Surgical and Patient Services at RWT, said: “Many congratulations to Andy on a fantastic and very well-deserved appointment. This is due recognition for the commitment and contribution he’s made to surgical education to date.
“It is great news for Andy personally, but also for the Trust. I also thank him for his leadership of – and contribution to – the Directorate during his time as CD.”
Professor David Loughton CBE, Group Chief Executive of RWT, said: “Andy has been one of the leading vascular surgeons for some time so it’s fitting that after contributing to the training of the next generation of surgeons, he will be leading those training the surgeons of the future.”
Dr Jonathan Odum, the Trust’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “I am absolutely delighted Andy has been chosen for this role. It’s wonderful that he’ll now be able to spread his expertise more widely.”
This is the latest honour for Mr Garnham, who became Vice President of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland (VSGBI) for 2023. After serving as its President Elect for 2022, he will receive the President’s chain and medal in 2024, his year in office.
Because of the increased commitments of his NHS England role, Mr Garnham, who replaces Mr Tim Graham, will be stepping down from his post as CD for General Surgery at RWT. The post will be advertised.
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Notes to Editor
- For further information, please call Tim Nash on 01902 481780 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net
