Keynote Speakers

Dr Achuthan Sajayan (Sajay) is a Consultant Anaesthetist at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, with interests in difficult airway management, colo-rectal surgery and obstetrics. Along with Dr Fauzia Mir, he currently leads the DAS Difficult Airway Alert Card and Database project involving roughly 196 hospitals in the UK. He is also the social media lead for DAS and is the Chair of organising the committee for DAS 2023 in Birmingham. He is a regular faculty member at various national and international anaesthesia and airway courses and workshops.

Aideen is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast Medical School and a Fellow of the College of Anaesthetists (RCSI) Dublin. Aideen is a Scottish Patient Safety Programme Fellow, a Health Foundation Generation Q Fellow and has a Masters in Leadership and Quality Improvement.

Aideen has worked as a Consultant in Paediatric Anaesthesia and Intensive Care for many years and held a number of Medical Leadership roles. Aideen leads the on-going design and development of the Health and Social Care Quality Improvement Network for Northern Ireland (HSCQI) with a focus on sharing learning and supporting system-wide scale-up of best practice.

Professor Dr Brian Smith has a successful career in higher education and perioperative practice. His interest in leadership in different workplace settings has spanned other subject disciplines, including; health/medicine, education, engineering, performing arts, psychology and law. He continues to focus on the sense of belonging, in particular, how identity, presence, co-presence, emotional intelligence and immersion could be the levers of contemporary leadership.

Celynn is a registered dietitian, award-winning speaker, author of two books and a workplace wellbeing consultant. She has a practical and playful approach to holistic wellbeing. Celynn does this by helping working individuals connect their mind, heart, body and spirit in a way that supports their wellbeing.

Celynn has an active interest in the field of epigenetics and gut health, she is an accredited HeartMath coach and Embodiment facilitator. Celynn was born in South Africa but her heritage stems from the Champagne region in France. Celynn loves anything to do with champagne and blues dancing.

Mr Edward St John is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Concentric Health and a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon working at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and an Honorary Reader at the University of Portsmouth. He is passionate about healthcare and effective, safe innovation. He is the Partnership Lead of the Innovation Hub for the Royal College of Surgeons (England). He is the Chair of the iBRA-NET Innovation Group. He is also an NHS clinical entrepreneur fellow. Amongst other skills he has domain expertise in consent & shared decision making, the evaluation of medical devices anddigital health.

Faye is a true horse fanatic, competing from the age of five to the present day. Dreaming of a career in show jumping and educating young horses, her dreams were shattered following a tragic car accident at age fifteen, leaving her paralysed with the use of only her left arm. Refusing to give up on her passion and conform to a disabled life, Faye fought back to change her dreams. Faye hoped sharing her story will inspire others to recognise when life doesn’t always go to plan there is always another route. Your mind is more powerful than your body.

Helen is a registered ODP with experience working in gynaecology, neurosurgery, and interventional radiology. Helen is a proud member of AfPP, and sits on the CODP Education and Standards committee.

Helen has over 25 years’ experience in the healthcare sector and 15 years in higher education and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Helen is passionate about ODP and AHP workforce education and development and works within the National AHP team in the Centre for Allied Health Professions Education and Transformation scoping innovation and education and training requirements for our future AHP workforce.

Imran has a keen interest in improving theatre efficiency. Imran innovated and then developed the High Intensity Theatre (HIT) List programme which has has been implemented at his trust since 2021. As Deputy Clinical Director, he has been able to implement HIT lists across the Trust and to date they have successfully completed 21 HIT lists, with many other Trusts now also running their own programmes.

The HIT list programme has been shortlisted as finalists for two national team awards in 2021 and has had media coverage across local and national newspapers and generated interest with NHSE and DHSC.

Jane qualified in 1985 and after working as a ward nurse, started her career in a shared Recovery Room in 1997. In 2002, Jane completed a conversion as a Registered Children’s Nurse and in 2005, the anaesthetic course. She completed her MSc in 2014, then PG Cert in teaching and learning in HEI in 2021.

Jane worked in paediatric recovery room as Band 7 for 17 yrs with an interest in education. In 2023, Jane retired as Matron and is currently an Associate Clinical Lecturer and Band 5 bank recovery nurse.

Lisa has worked in theatres for a number of years, previous roles include Theatre Matron at The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust and Theatre Matron at Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital. She is currently Head of Nursing for The Private Clinic of Harley Street.

Lisa is a Non-Elected Trustee for The Association of Perioperative Practice (AfPP) and represents AfPP on the steering group of the SAFE OR program, which supports and promotes safe standards in low/mid income countries. She has contributed to developing the program and has delivered multi-disciplinary teaching on courses in Africa, India, Bangladesh and the UK.

Maria Koijck lives in Holland and has created community art projects from waste in the Netherlands, America, Brazil, Zambia, South Africa, Morocco, Romania and the Czech Republic. In 2021 she made a video installation with the waste from her own breast reconstruction surgery after breast cancer. This shows in a penetrating way how much waste the ten-hour operation produced. The video went viral and sparked the debate about sustainability in healthcare.

“We as people would like to get better, but at what price and are there no other ways to produce less waste in healthcare?”

Nigel Roberts is an ODP. He is currently the Head of Nursing at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Nigel is also the Deputy Chair for the National Network of Theatre Managers. To date he has published eleven papers during his current Doctoral of Philosophy studies. His PhD, through the University of Derby, is looking at why intra-operative surgical never-events still occur in NHS operating theatres, what can be done to address barriers to safer surgery and addressing how human factors can reduce patient harm.

Nigel has a keen interest in patient safety in the operating theatres.

Oliver started his career with the NHS in 1999 at the Liverpool Royal Hospital. He qualified as an ODP in 2008. Post qualification, he worked at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital before moving to The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in 2013. Oliver became a Band 6 Clinical Skills Facilitator in 2015, a Band 7 Practice Education Facilitator in 2017 and has recently become the Risk and Governance Lead for the Theatre Department. 

Oliver has a passion for the Health and Wellbeing of staff and sees this as one of the main areas to focus on as we emerge from the COVID pandemic.

Oliver is also an accredited Applied Human Factors Trainer, qualified Workplace Mediator, Mental Health First Aider and Trustee for The Association of Perioperative Practice (AfPP).

Pete Chell is the Clinical Lead for Anaesthetics and Education within the International Recruitment Department at the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. He is an ERC/RC(UK) EPALS, ALS and GIC instructor with over 25 years’ experience as an ODP and Educator, as well as being a Fellow of the Institute of Training and Occupational Learning. Pete is currently project lead for a new initiative to source, recruit and ensure the smooth transition of international anaesthetic practitioners into the UK workforce. Pete’s role is to ensure candidates are provided with pastoral care and professional guidance throughout the process and are safe to practice within the UK.

Scarlett’s career has consisted of being a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Eastbourne since 2002, the role of Deputy Director at the Centre for Perioperative Care and an Honorary Clinical Professor for the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Scarlett was also a Council Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 2011 to 2021.

She is involved with initiatives to reduce bullying ‘by mistake’ and unconscious bias. Scarlett developed the award-winning Band 3 role of ‘Doctors Assistant’. Furthermore, she was the lead author for “Exercise the miracle cure” on how exercise prevents and treats common conditions and how preparation for surgery has a similar impact.

From a Scrub Nurse in the Operating Theatre Department to over 20 years’ experience as a Surgical Care Practitioner, Sue has over 30 years’ of nursing experience which she has brought to the ongoing development of the NHS Implant Analysis Service.

Now working as Clinical Quality and Data Management Lead at NT&HFT, Sue has been a part of the NHS Implant Analysis service since its inception. With an always-growing knowledge base of all aspects of her field, she is a valuable aid to the smooth running of the service and is always happy to help – usually with a smile.

Professor Dr Brian Smith has a successful career in Higher Education and perioperative practice. His interest in leadership in different workplace settings has spanned other subject disciplines, including health/medicine, education, engineering, performing arts, psychology, and Law. He continues to focus on the sense of belonging, exceptionally how identity, presence, co-presence, emotional intelligence and immersion could be the levers of contemporary leadership.

Dawn has worked in healthcare for around 30 years in many different roles.  She is a published author and a human factors/quality improvement consultant.  She recently stepped down from her role as AfPP CEO and is now – rather than putting herself out to pasture – pursuing opportunities that are her passion.  She has an all-round understanding of healthcare from primary care commissioning through to secondary care interventions. Some of her previous roles have included commissioning new hospital and GP surgery builds, IT implementation programmes, customer care, team building and leadership training strategies. Her philosophy is that kindness is infectious and should be at the core of everything we do, kindness can support change and encourage growth for everyone around you, so BE KIND

Helen’s passion for improved patient safety is informed by personal family insight into the impact of unsafe care and the ineffectiveness of organisational responses to learn from error. She is an experienced leader in organisational effectiveness and transformational change. Helen has held leadership roles in healthcare in the UK and the WHO, the National Patient Safety Agency, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Parliamentary Health Services Ombudsman and the Charity Commission

I qualified as an ODP in 2010 and worked in a variety of NHS trusts before joining Sheffield Hallam university as a lecturer in 2015. I have undertaken a number of roles during my academic career, most recently course lead for the degree programme and in 2021 was awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. I am also an External Examiner for Edge Hill University, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Perioperative Practice.
I have always had a strong interest in research and I am currently undertaking my PhD exploring migrant women’s experiences of Caesarean birth.

Penny is an independent perioperative nurse consultant and certified medical laser safety officer. Her work includes advocacy and consultation on the management of surgical plume, risk assessment, education and training, safety audits for compliance with standards, policy, documentation, and program development in healthcare facilities.

Kat Topley is a registered nurse and has worked across the UK healthcare sectors in infection prevention and control. Moving to 3M in 2013 Kat had the opportunity to focus on reducing surgical site infection risk strategies. Kats current role in 3M is managing a Medical Liaison team in the Global Medical Science Division in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Kat remains as a registered nurse and an active member of the UK Infection Prevention Society.

Steve Veck is an Electro Surgery Consultant and Clinical Lecturer, with some 30 plus years’ experience in the surgical arena. He has numerous publications on Electrosurgery and Surgical
Plume. He is a regular lecturer at both The Royal College of Surgeons and Royal College of Physicians, as well as Universities, Medical Institutes and Hospital Trusts and a Faculty Member of a Swiss Surgical Academy and Member of The Royal Society of Medicine. I believe the values I set in principle in my training and presentations, meet well with the core values of AfPP.

Patrick is a Perioperative Nurse with over 30 years of experience. He is the National Perioperative Consulting leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the United States. He has led the most complex transformation work in Perioperative Services at the most prestigious Academic Medical Centers and Health Systems in the US. Patrick is recognized both Nationally and Internationally through his service to perioperative practice by serving as a past national President of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and the current President of the International Federation of Perioperative Registered Nurses (IFPN)

I have an interest in improving theatre efficiency and I innovated and then developed the High Intensity Theatre (HIT) List programme at my Trust since 2021. As deputy clinical director I have been able to implement HIT lists across the Trust and to date we have successfully completed 21 HIT lists, with many other Trusts now also running their own programmes. The HIT list programme has been shortlisted as finalists for two national team awards in 2021 and has had media coverage across local and national newspapers and genertae dinterest with NHSE and DHSC.

Emma is a highly experienced Governance Specialist, who honed her craft in variety of sectors. Starting with her service as a Royal Air Force Medic, to her work in Information Governance at the General Social Care Council – a fore runner to the HCPC, during her time as a Patient Safety Manager in a large acute teaching NHS Trust, followed by her role as a Quality and Risk Manager and most recently as the PISRF Implementation Lead for Circle Health Group. Emma has real world experience of managing Patient Safety Incidents from a clinical, operational and governance perspective.

Caroline is the Elective Recovery Programme Manager for the Provider Collaborative, West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT). A pharmacist by background she has worked as a senior leader/Advanced Clinical Practitioner within pharmacy for over 20years. Her innovation and determination led to her being one of 12 female pharmacists listed in the first ‘Women to Watch honour ’ created by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Combining her clinical and operational knowledge she has developed a high performing team to meet the challenges of dealing with the COVID Backlog and lead system-wide transformation. Ateam championed as exemplary across the NEY Region.

I am a Band 6, RGN, Perioperative practitioner. I have worked in Orthopaedic theatres for over 26 years but have an overall experience of 30 yrs in the theatre environment. In 2014, I undertook a Practice development degree and studied factors around perioperative practice. One of the subjects that peeked my interest was surgical smoke plume and the lack of knowledge around the legislation that makes it mandatary to evacuate it at source. For this reason I chose it as my dissertation project to create a clean air environment within my own department.

Morven Stewart is the Charge Nurse of the multi-specialty robot assisted surgery theatre in Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. Originally from a small village in the Highlands of Scotland, Morven graduated from the University of Dundee in 2017 where she then continued to stay and work. She has worked across multiple specialty theatres before achieving Charge Nurse for the first DaVinci Robot in Ninewells. She has held this role since the launch of the robotic surgery program in her Trust and has helped grow and develop the service across colorectal, urology, gynaecology and ENT specialties. (She also makes spectacular cakes).

Since being appointed as a Consultant Neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre in 2017, Mr Carleton-Bland has run a full time clinical practice alongside an educationalist practice in undergraduate and post-graduate settings. He is a human factors trainer, he has won a national teaching award from Association for Perioperative Practice, nominated for the Silver Scalpel 2023, and won the postgraduate ‘Excellence in Education’ award 2020 from the North West School of Surgery.