'Who's Who' in AWSEM...
Senior Management Team
Dr Ash Basu (Ash.basu2@wales.nhs.uk)
I was born in Kent, but lived in Wales from age 3 to 15, including high school in Cardiff, moving to Scotland, before Medical School at Universities of St. Andrews, and Manchester. My postgraduate training was in North-West, initially undertaking surgical training, completing MRCS before embarking on EM higher training in North Wales and Liverpool, with a one year stint in a trauma centre in Melbourne, Australia, eventually qualifying with a dual CCT in EM & ICM, having additionally undertaken ICM training in UHW.
I became a Wrexham ED Consultant in 2010, becoming Educational Supervisor, then Specialty Tutor, and eventually Head of School in 2020.
Aside from undergraduate & postgraduate education & training, my professional interests include trauma; critical care; and decision making and cognitive load under pressure. Emergency Medicine is a tough, but immensely rewarding specialty, and it is vital that we look after our own, and each other’s wellbeing, which is another passion of mine.
I live in a lovely rural setting half-way between Chester & Wrexham, with my wife, Andrea, and two children: Seren, 11, and Dewi 4, who are about to start secondary and primary schools respectively. My personal interests include family time, preferably on holiday; attending shows and gigs; as well as being a keen member of a pub quiz team.
Dr Rhian Farquharson (rhian.farquharson@wales.nhs.uk)
Hi! My name is Rhian Farquharson and I am the current Training Programme Director (TPD) for EM. I am a Consultant based at the Grange University Hospital and have always had an active role in education and training within the department. I run the junior teaching programme and have been the Speciality tutor for the department for 7 years. I have been an Educational Supervisor for all grades of trainee and non-training grades during my time as a Consultant.
Prior to the TPD role I was the AWSEM educational lead and so had been in charge of developing and running the regional teaching programme. This meant I had to keep up to date with all the training requirements and changes in curriculum that have come from RCEM.
I was born and brought up in South Wales and went to university in Cardiff. During my postgraduate training I branched out a bit and worked in Bangor and in Dunedin in New Zealand, but was always coming home to Wales to live and work! I now live in beautiful Ogmore-by-sea with my husband and 2 daughters and if I’m not driving the girls to some sort of dance or swimming class, I can be found walking my dog on the beach.
Life in the Emergency Department is tough at the moment – huge numbers of patients, long waits in the department and in ambulances and some very complex pathology. Add to that the training requirements and our lives in EM can be incredibly stressful. And that is before we get to the challenges of life and all the curve balls that that throws!!!
I hope that in my role as TPD I can try and help where I can, to ensure your training is excellent, you maintain a work life balance and you are given any other support you need.
I am very approachable and if I don’t have all the answers (which I probably won’t) then I will find out. Please get in touch with me if you have any concerns or want to chat anything through – I am happy for you to find me at GUH, email me, phone me… and I am always on what’s app!!
Rhian
Dr Louise Allman
Louise.Allman2@wales.nhs.uk
Dr Laura Owen
laura.owen@wales.nhs.uk
Liz Babbage (liz.babbage@wales.nhs.uk)
Having spent 16 years working in Higher Education initially as a researcher, Law lecturer, and later running a campus wide support and advice service, I made the move to the then Wales Deanery in 2017. Initially working as a GP Specialty Training Manager, I moved to Secondary Care in 2018 as Specialty Training Manager responsible for Recruitment and Programme Management and working as School Manager for Emergency Medicine and Anaesthetics. Outside of work you’ll find me enjoying my serious love of food, in the gym (to combat all of the food), walking the dogs or being a football mum, which occupies a lot of my time but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Consultant Leads
- Morriston Hospital, Swansea
- Dr Kirsty Dickson-Jardine (kirsty.dicksonjardine@wales.nhs.uk)
- University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff
- Dr Bethan Morgan (bethan.morgan16@wales.nhs.uk)
- Grange University Hospital, Cwmbran
- Dr Robert Stafford (Rob.Stafford@wales.nhs.uk)
- Maelor Hospital, Wrexham
- Dr Ash Basu (Ash.basu@wales.nhs.uk)
- Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor
- Dr Helen Salter (Helen.salter@wales.nhs.uk)
- Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend
- Dr Craig Planello (craig.planello@wales.nhs.uk)
- Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil
- Dr Ella Harrison-Hansley (ella.harrisonhansley@wales.nhs.uk)
- Education Lead
- Dr Claire Powell (claire.powell@wales.nhs.uk)
- LTFT Lead
- Dr Katy Guy (Katy.Guy@wales.nhs.uk)
- Professional Support Unit Lead
- Dr Nadiah Spencer (nadiah.spencer@wales.nhs.uk)
- Paediatric (PEM) Lead (South Wales)
- Dr Zoe Roberts (zoe.roberts3@wales.nhs.uk)
- Paediatric (PEM) Lead (North Wales)
- Dr Pete Williams (pete.williams@wales.nhs.uk)
- Ultrasound Lead
- Dr Syed Gilani (syed.gilani@wales.nhs.uk)
- Quality Improvement Lead
- Dr Nirmal James (nirmal.james@wales.nhs.uk)
- Critical Appraisal Lead
- Dr Ryan Hobbs (Ryan.hobbs@wales.nhs.uk)
- Simulation Lead
- Naresh Thirumali (naresh.thirumalai@wales.nhs.uk) ?
- Conference Lead
- Ellie Lewis (ellie.lewis@wales.nhs.uk) ?
- Careers Lead
- Pending
- Anaesthetics
- Dr Natalie Micher
Hello, I’m Natalie Mincher, the Wales Anaesthetics lead for ACCS training. I’ve been a consultant anaesthetist in Aneurin Bevan UHB since 2019 and work between the Royal Gwent and Grange University Hospital Sites.
Originally from Fareham in Hampshire, I trained at Cardiff University and completed all of my postgraduate training here in Wales. My clinical interests are head and neck surgery and perioperative medicine. I am also the trust lead for bariatrics. My non clinical interests are much more fun and involve keeping bees and being a terrible runner!
In this role I would like to help make all ACCS trainees as much a part if the anaesthetic family as those in core training. As ACCS trainees become a larger proportion of the intake into anaesthetic training it is vital that they are represented well. Furthermore for trainees going on to careers in ITU, emergency medicine and internal medicine; I want to make your journey through your anaesthetic placements as rewarding and useful as it can be, and I look forward to having you all as future multispeciality colleagues.
Hello, I’m Natalie Mincher, the Wales Anaesthetics lead for ACCS training. I’ve been a consultant anaesthetist in Aneurin Bevan UHB since 2019 and work between the Royal Gwent and Grange University Hospital Sites.
Originally from Fareham in Hampshire, I trained at Cardiff University and completed all of my postgraduate training here in Wales. My clinical interests are head and neck surgery and perioperative medicine. I am also the trust lead for bariatrics. My non clinical interests are much more fun and involve keeping bees and being a terrible runner!
In this role I would like to help make all ACCS trainees as much a part if the anaesthetic family as those in core training. As ACCS trainees become a larger proportion of the intake into anaesthetic training it is vital that they are represented well. Furthermore for trainees going on to careers in ITU, emergency medicine and internal medicine; I want to make your journey through your anaesthetic placements as rewarding and useful as it can be, and I look forward to having you all as future multispeciality colleagues.
- Acute Medicine
- Dr John Hounsell (johnmichael.hounsell@wales.nhs.uk) – covering leave for Caroline
- Dr Caroline Burford (caroline.burford2@wales.nhs.uk)
- Intensive Care Medicine
- Dr Sonia Sathe (sonia.sathe@wales.nhs.uk)
- Emergency medicine
- Dr Craig Planello (craig.planello@wales.nhs.uk)
- Morriston Hospital, Swansea
- Dr Nathan Tweed (nathan.tweed@wales.nhs.uk)
- University Hospital Wales, Cardiff
- Dr Duncan Thomas (duncan.thomas@wales.nhs.uk)
- Grange University Hospital, Cwmbran
- Dr Natalie Mincher (natalie.mincher@wales.nhs.uk)
- Maelor Hospital, Wrexham
- Dr Ash Basu (ash.basu@wales.nhs.uk)
- Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor
- Dr Terry Collingwood (Terry.Collingwood2@wales.nhs.uk)
- Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend
- Dr Craig Planello (craig.planello@wales.nhs.uk)
- Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil
- Dr Lucy Cunnane (lucy.cunnane@wales.nhs.uk)
Trainee Representatives
Wales EMTA rep
Dr Matt Williams (matthew.williams1@wales.nhs.uk)
South Wales Hospital Representatives
POWH Trainee Rep
Dr Rhiannon McNamara (rhiannon.mcnamara@wales.nhs.uk)
GUH Trainee Rep
Dr Mike Murphy. ST6, Grange University Hospital, Cwmbran (Michael.murphy@wales.nhs.uk)
PCH Trainee Rep
Dr Claire Molloy (Claire.molloy@wales.nhs.uk)
UHW Trainee Rep
Dr Grace McKay (grace.mckay@wales.nhs.uk)
Morriston Trainee Rep
Dr Rhys Griffiths (owain.griffiths3@wales.nhs.uk)
North Wales Hospital Representatives
Ysbyty Gwynedd Trainee Rep
Dr Alice Ormrod (alice.ormrod@wales.nhs.uk)
Wrexham Maelor Trainee Rep
Dr Phil Metcalf (philip.metcalf@wales.nhs.uk)