Specialities offered

Cardiothoracic surgery

The South Yorkshire Cardiothoracic Centre is based at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield which is part of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the only NHS institution in the city providing secondary care for adults.

We provide a cardiac and thoracic surgical service for adults in South Yorkshire i.e. a population of 2 million. The service is based in the Chesterman Building which also houses Cardiology.

There are currently seven cardiac surgeons:

• Braidley
• Briffa
• Cartwright
• Chetty
• Cooper
• Forlani
• Hunter

There are also five thoracic surgeons:

• Hopkinson
• Edwards 
• Rao 
• Socci
• Tenconi

Cardiothoracic surgical services are delivered through an OP department, two wards (Chesterman 3 and 4), a progressive care unit (PCU), operating theatres with a recovery unit and a Cardiac Intensive care Unit (CICU), all housed in the Chesterman Wing at the Northern General Hospital.

Cardiac surgical procedures carried out in Sheffield include

• coronary artery bypass grafting
• OPCAB (Off-Pump coronary artery bypass)
• mitral valve surgery including mitral valve repair
• ablation surgery for the treatment of atrial fibrillation
• aortic valve replacement surgery including minimally invasive access
• major aortic surgery including hybrid approaches with EVAR (Endovascular repair)

Thoracic surgical procedures include

• lung resection including VATS (Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery)
• complex resections including chest wall resection
• surgery for bullous disease including lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema

Students will be able to attend OP clinics where they will be able to clerk and examine patients, attend ward rounds, observe and scrub for cardiac and thoracic surgical procedures, observe procedures in the cardiac cath lab, spend time in the Intensive care Unit and attend Multidisciplinary meetings to discuss thoracic and cardiac patients.

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Endocrine surgery

The Endocrine surgery unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital provides tertiary specialist endocrine (thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal) surgery for our catchment population of more than two million people in the North Trent Cancer Network.

We are a tertiary referral centre for thyroid cancer, re-operative parathyroid and adrenal surgery and perform complex major endocrine surgical benign and cancer operations within the Unit. We have a dedicated thyroid cancer MDT, endocrine MDT and a neuroendocrine MDT and discuss cases from around the region.

Additionally, we provide elective surgery for hernia and other benign general surgical conditions. Our unit is well supported by dedicated radiologists, biochemists, pathologists and endocrinologists. We provide the regional endocrinology testing service.

The Consultants provide subspecialty emergency cover and also receive emergency endocrine surgical referrals from the region.

Our unit also has a weekly endocrine surgical meeting to discuss morbidity and mortality statistics, articles from literature, complex cases and ongoing research in the unit.

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ENT

Welcome to the Sheffield Pituitary and Anterior Skull Base Service. We hope you have a stimulating and educational time here.

There will be opportunities to

• attend general and specialised clinics
• attend emergencies
• see general ENT and general neurosurgery
• see anterior skull base surgery and pituitary surgery
• work with junior doctors including Foundation Doctors on the ward
• attend MDT meetings
• attend ward rounds
• attend other specialities such as ontology and spinal surgery
• clerk and present cases
• make presentations and write papers

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General surgery

Colorectal surgery is based at the Northern General Hospital and provides general and colorectal specialist care to the patients of Sheffield and the region, serving a population of two million.

The Department comprises all major forms of surgery including open, laparoscopic and pelvic floor and is a Regional Training Centre. The facility has an intensive care unit, operating theatres, outpatients, endoscopy and radiology. There are nine colorectal surgeons, and we have There are close relationships with the Gastroenterology Department. There are weekly Multi-Disciplinary Team Meetings and a GI Physiology laboratory. Laparoscopic surgery is well-established within the Department. There is a weekly Morbidity & Mortality Meeting, a significant event audit and a combined approach to scheduling for consultants and junior doctors.

Students will have access to all areas (assuming the necessary clearance from the medical school) and we hope very much that they will become a part of the working team. There is a strong teaching ethic and this unit receives very positive feedback from Sheffield students who describe it as a unit where you work hard and learn a lot.

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Neonatology

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the Jessops Wing of the Royal Hallmashire Hospital will offer you the opportunity to see and support the medical care of newborn infants, especially those born premature or with illnesses. Please be aware this will not contain any women's health, it is purely Neonatal.

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Ophthalmology

The Ophthalmology Department at the Hallamshire Hospital is a large teaching unit with 26 consultants, a team of advanced nurse practitioners, allied medical assistants, photographers, and 12 junior ophthalmologists in training.

Despite this, we are a very friendly and welcoming department and students and observers who have spent time in the Department have always found it a very positive experience.

We cover the whole range of ophthalmology provisions, glaucoma, cataracts, cornea, neuro-ophthalmology, paediatrics, strabismus, vitreoretinal surgery, oculoplastic and adnexal surgery and on top of that we are one of only 3 regional centres for eye cancers in England so any student doing an elective with us can get a wide breadth of experience.

We can tailor an elective to the needs and interests of the student and we are happy to receive students for short or longer electives.

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Orthopaedics

We are a team of Consultant Orthopaedic surgeons with various subspecialty interests who provide care across Royal Hallamshire (Elective practice) and Northern General for all adult populations in Sheffield.

The department also receives emergency transfers from surrounding hospitals for more complex trauma, and elective and semi-acute referrals from regional and national sources for sub-speciality conditions such as spinal surgery, limb reconstruction and joint arthroplasty.

We work alongside an excellent team of healthcare professionals and administrative staff to help us care for our patients. There are physiotherapists, nurse practitioners, specialist nurses and plaster room technicians who work closely with us.

In addition, there are postgraduate training doctors of various grades (six foundation doctors, four core trainees, 10 junior and senior clinical fellows in additional to 12 speciality trainee registrars) supported by the Orthogeriatric team, who will all provide formal and informal teaching during ward rounds, inpatient work. 

We can also provide additional opportunities for a placement within the paediatric Orthopaedic department at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Sheffield Children’s is a Major Trauma Centre with a team of 13 senior consultant orthopaedic surgeons, including five dedicated spinal surgeons. It is a national and international Centre of Excellence in conditions such as osteogenesis imperfecta, spinal bracing, developmental dysplasia of the hip, hip preservation, and neuromuscular conditions. There is experience to be gained in the Ponseti technique, gait lab analysis and limb lengthening/ reconstruction with external frames and intramedullary nails. 

During your placement, you attend and scrub into theatre lists at NGH, RHH and Sheffield Children’s Hospital. You could attend specialist clinics in arthroplasty, limb reconstruction, adult, and paediatric spine in addition to upper/lower limb and fracture clinics. There are opportunities to observe complex MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Teams) meetings and trauma meetings.

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Otology and neurotology

We run a tertiary-level teaching hospital ENT unit. The Department carries out the full range of modern-day otology and neurotology:

• There are dedicated specialist MDT clinics on Hearing and Balance, BAHA and middle ear implants, skull base pathology and these are backed up by regular MDT meetings.
• Implantable hearing solutions, bone anchored and middle ear implants, aural reconstruction, assessment and rehabilitation of cochlear implants.
• There are ongoing research projects on sensorineural hearing loss, balance disorders and tinnitus.
• There are strong links with the Academic units of Medical Imaging and Medical Physics as well as basic sciences laboratories and collaborative research projects are ongoing.
• Wide range of base of skull surgery, including the surgery of acoustic neuromas undertaken with Neurosurgery.
• The unit is supported by a dedicated team of Clinical Scientists, Audiologists, Physiotherapists, Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Hearing Therapists.

There are also special MDT dealing with cochlear implants, balance disorders, voice problems and skull base surgery.

Several funded research projects are available to choose from. Many are in conjunction with other departments and the University of Sheffield:

• Genetics Age-related hearing loss.
• Novel ways of balance assessment.
• Functional imaging and drug trials in tinnitus
• Drug trials in the management of Meniere’s Disease
• Paediatrics at Sheffield Children's Hospital

Students should find an appropriate supervisor and agree on a placement in principle before applying.

If you are struggling to find a supervisor, contact scn-tr.medicaleducation@nhs.net.

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Plastic surgery

The Department of Plastic Surgery is spread over three sites:

• Northern General Hospital deals with all aspects of adult trauma and burns surgery along with elective upper limb surgery.
• Sheffield Children's Hospital offers services relating to paediatric burns and general plastic surgery.
• Royal Hallamshire Hospital carries out elective skin cancer surgeries as well as breast and microsurgical reconstructions.

Students are welcome to choose the site which interests them most or have a mixture so that they can gain a flavour of the breadth of the specialty.

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Renal and nephrology

The Sheffield Kidney Institute is the Regional Renal Unit for North Trent covering a population of 1.7 million. Services provided include acute and chronic nephrology and the provision of end-stage renal failure therapy by modalities including haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and renal transplantation.

There are approximately 70 new transplants performed each year including a live-related program which offers laparoscopic donor kidney retrieval.

Sheffield Kidney Institute facilities include 3 inpatient wards at the Northern General Hospital along with a 57 station haemodialysis unit, an 18-station satellite dialysis unit in South Sheffield and purpose built outpatient clinic facilities.

Clinics are held daily, including renal transplant, general nephrology, and dialysis.

The surgical team is also involved in the provision of elective and emergency care for upper GI,HPB and General surgical conditions of both renal and non renal patients both in an outpatient and inpatient settings.

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Respiratory and acute medicine

The respiratory medicine department serves the city of Sheffield but is also a tertiary referral centre for the surrounding region.

The department has both in-patients on four wards including a non-invasive ventilation unit. Procedures include bronchoscopy and thoracoscopy. Large numbers of patients attend the many specialist clinics in all areas of respiratory medicine. There are also sub-speciality units in cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension.

The acute medicine department sees large numbers of newly admitted patients with general medical problems each day. These patients are admitted and seen in both the accident and emergency department as well as the GP referral unit. There is a 56-bed acute medical unit where new admissions are assessed and treated. Daily consultant-led ward rounds review these patients and their treatment.

After three days, any patients who still require admission are triaged to another speciality.

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Upper GI surgery

The Upper GI unit at the Northern General Hospital provides tertiary specialist oesophago-gastric (O-G) surgery for our catchment population of more than two million people in the North Trent Cancer Network. We are a tertiary referral centre for oesophageal and gastric cancer and perform complex major O-G cancer operations within the Unit. We also provide the regional bariatric service and offer laparoscopic gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and Lap band operations. We have a dedicated bariatric MDT and bariatric dietician service.

Additionally, we provide elective surgery for gallstones and other benign conditions including surgery for hiatal hernia and reflux disease. We essentially provide training opportunities for the whole range oesophago-gastric surgery and upper GI endoscopy. We also provide part of the ERCP service and Barrett’s surveillance programme. Our unit is well supported by dedicated interventional radiologists with special interest in upper GI interventions. We provide the regional UGI physiology laboratory service and perform oesophageal function tests.

The Consultants provide subspecialty emergency cover and also receive emergency oesophago-gastric referrals from the region.

Our unit also has a weekly oesophago-gastric cancer MDT to discuss all referrals to the unit.

In addition we have a weekly X-ray conference to discuss and plan management of complicated cases, as well as a monthly Morbidity & Mortality meeting.

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Vascular

The Sheffield Vascular Institute, based at the Northern General Hospital, is a tertiary vascular unit serving the population of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.

We offer the full range of both open and endovascular surgery, including complex thoraco-abdominal repairs both open and endovascular, and endo-venous treatments.

There are 12 consultant radiologists and surgeons, with two dedicated angio-suites and a dedicated vascular theatre.

There are weekly MDTs for neuro-vascular and peripheral aneurysms, as well as a thoracic aortic clinic.

We have close ties with both the University of Sheffield and Hallam University, with a rich portfolio of research with special interest in exercise physiology and service configuration.