The Department of Health is extremely pleased to announce that it has offered the recently advertised post of Consultant Surgeon with a primary special interest in breast care to a highly experienced and eminent Oncoplastic Breast and General Surgeon, who has accepted the offer. The successful candidate, who is female, will be taking up the post at Noble’s Hospital in the New Year pending successful completion of pre-employment checks. As service lead, heading up a multi-disciplinary breast care team, the new Consultant will drive the development and enhancement of the Island’s breast care services. With the successful candidate having worked as a Consultant Surgeon for the past 11 years and developed skills in all aspects of breast surgery and care; including oncoplastic surgery, reconstructive breast surgery and multi-disciplinary team working, the successful candidate will be ideal for the Island, with the post-holder bringing a diverse and expert range of skills to this key post. Minister for Health, David Anderson, said, “I really am delighted that we’ve been able to offer the job to such a proficient and highly skilled surgeon; the new Consultant’s CV and past experience is highly impressive and I believe they will bring a great deal to the post, to the team at Noble’s Hospital and to the people of the Isle of Man. “First and foremost this move has always been about developing and enhancing our on-Island breast care service, which I’m glad to say we will now be able to proceed with. We’ll have a first class service and a team of skilled professionals of which the Island can rightly be proud. “Through working in partnership with the Isle of Man Council of Cancer Charities, Isle of Man Breast Care and Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man we’ve ensured that service users and key stakeholders have been fully involved in this key development in breast care services for the Isle of Man. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Isle of Man Breast Care and Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man for their full support. “I’d also like to thank Andrea Chambers, Chief Executive of Manx Cancer Help, for agreeing to sit on the Interview Panel for this post. Andrea has assisted the Department in putting service users at the very heart of the recruitment process, helping to ensure we get the right person for the job, which I know we have. We’ve not crossed the finish line just yet, with pre-employment checks and paperwork to complete, but we’re on the homestretch.” Andrea Chambers, Chief Executive of Manx Cancer Help, said: “I was delighted to be asked to join the Interview Panel and believe that having a representative from the third sector was the correct approach. The public can rest assured that we have appointed a first class breast surgeon for the Island, through a process which has been shaped and scrutinised by third sector organisations, to ensure the best outcome possible for patients. “The Assessor from the Royal College of Surgeons who also sat on the Interview Panel was very impressed with the calibre of candidates who had applied for the post, to the extent that he would have been happy to interview and appoint the candidates for posts in any UK Trust.” The appointment to post of the new Consultant Surgeon not only secures a dedicated breast care service for the Isle of Man, but will also allow the Department of Health’s three phase plan for the development of breast care services in the Isle of Man to be taken forward. The three phases are as follows, with this appointment marking the completion of Phase 1. Phase 1 - Fund and appoint a permanent dedicated Consultant Surgeon to lead breast care services Phase 2 - Introduce on-Island sentinel node biopsies Phase 3 - Introduce appropriate on-Island breast reconstruction Jan Brooks MBE, President of Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man, Trustee of Breakthrough Breast Cancer UK and a Director of the Isle of Man Council of Cancer Charities is equally delighted with the appointment and added, “I’m sure that breast cancer patients will feel reassured that the Department has been successful in securing such an experienced surgeon, who has specialised in all the newest techniques in breast cancer surgery and worked in one of the foremost breast cancer centres in the Britain. “For many years, Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man together with Isle of Man Breast Care, the Council of Cancer Charities and the Cancer Services User Forum have been involved with the development of cancer services in the Isle of Man and for myself, breast cancer services in particular. “The benefits of this collaborative approach are very apparent in this excellent appointment and it is always our aim to ensure that we obtain the best possible standard of care for cancer patients on the Island. I feel sure that the whole breast team, including the new Consultant Radiologist, will be able to take the service forward and develop the new techniques that are necessary for a first class breast unit. We look forward to supporting the work of this very special surgeon and her team.” Adrian Earnshaw, Chair of the Council of Cancer Charities, said: “Key third sector organisations on the Island, such as the Council of Cancer Charities, have worked in close collaboration with the Department of Health in taking the recruitment to this post forward. We enjoy a close working relationship with the Department, and through working in partnership, as we have, it remains clear that the Department is committed to ensuring that the voice of cancer patients and their families shape future service development.” In addition to the Department being able to develop more advanced on-Island breast care services, the appointment of the new post-holder and the capacity within the role will also bring with it an additional weekly theatre session which can be used for breast surgery, and additional outpatient clinics. It also fulfils the requirement set by the Royal College of Surgeons that the Island has a fourth Consultant Surgeon who can take-part in the general surgical out of hours on-call rota. Although the new Consultant has signed the offer of employment, until all paperwork and pre-employment checks are complete, the Department cannot reveal the name of the new post-holder, but will do so at the earliest opportunity. - ENDS -