The Department of Health is delighted to announce that Ms Millie Bello will take up her post as the Isle of Man’s new Consultant General Surgeon with a special interest in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery and Breast Care. Ms Bello will commence work at Noble’s Hospital on Wednesday, 1 February 2012 where she will head up the Island’s multi-disciplinary Breast Care Service.

Ms Bello, who has been a Consultant General Surgeon with a special interest in breast surgery for ten years in the UK, was offered the post at Noble’s Hospital following interview by a panel consisting of representatives from the Royal College of Surgeons, Noble’s Hospital and lay representatives including Andrea Chambers, Chief Executive of Manx Cancer Help.

Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK said: “I am delighted to welcome Ms Bello to the Department of Health and to the Isle of Man. This appointment marks an exciting development for the Island’s Breast Care Service. On-Island breast care is now not only secure for the long-term, with a permanent consultant in post, but can also now be developed further in line with the Department’s three phase plan to enhance breast care services for the people of the Isle of Man.”

Ms Bello and her team will be charged with taking forward the Department of Health’s plans to offer a wider range of enhanced services on-Island, providing those who develop breast cancer with an exceptional standard of care. These services will include the provision of oncoplastic breast surgery, sentinel node biopsy, immediate and delayed breast reconstruction, symmetrisation surgery and aesthetic breast reconstruction.

Ms Bello said: “I am very excited about coming to the Isle of Man. I’ve already made a number of visits and the Island offers an excellent quality of life. The community seems very friendly and I’ve already been made to feel welcome. I’m very much looking forward to working with colleagues to develop the Island’s breast care service, ensuring that patients receive the highest standard of care possible.”

Barbara Scott, Noble’s Hospital Manager added: “Despite the relatively small size of the population on the Isle of Man, Ms Bello and her team will deliver a breast care service that is second to none and normally only found in larger hospitals serving much larger populations. Ms Bello will lead the development of state of the art services that will be offered here on the Island on a permanent basis for the first time. Ms Bello and her team will provide a truly first class breast service of which the Island can be proud and which will reduce to a minimum the number of cases which require referral and treatment in the UK.

“I know the Breast Care team here at Noble’s Hospital, who have now met Ms Bello on several occasions, are very much looking forward to working with her to develop and enhance services for our patients. Ms Bello will also help to cover general surgery out of hours, increasing the number of surgeons sharing in the cover of emergencies from three surgeons, to four, in line with the requirements of the Royal College of Surgeons.”

Ms Bello has spent the last six and a half years working as a Consultant General Surgeon with a special interest in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery at Nottingham University Hospital’s Breast Institute, a centre of excellence in the provision of breast care services.

Andrea Chambers, Chief Executive of Manx Cancer Help said: “It became clear quite quickly from interviewing Ms Bello together with reviewing her CV and experience that she would bring something quite special to the Isle of Man in terms of both her expertise and knowledge. Ms Bello is a highly regarded breast surgeon and her appointment is a coup for the Isle of Man.”

Jan Brooks, President of Breakthrough Breast Cancer Isle of Man and Trustee of Breakthrough Breast Cancer UK said: “I’m thrilled that Ms Bello will be joining the Breast Care team here in the Isle of Man. There are two elements to breast care – prevention and screening, which are vitally important, and breast cancer treatment. Whilst we must continue to make every effort to prevent breast cancer and detect it early, when treatment is required the people of the Isle of Man deserve the very best – and that is clearly what they’ll receive in the care of Ms Bello.”

Sharon Maddrell, Chair of Isle of Man Breast Care said: “This is fantastic news for the people of the Isle of Man and exactly what we wanted and were promised by the Department of Health. It’s been a turbulent 12 months for all of those affected by and campaigning to raise awareness of breast cancer, with vocal opposition by some for plans to appoint to this post. I feel this has at times caused unnecessary alarm and concern amongst the public; but hopefully now all parties can work together to continue developing an exemplary breast care service for the people of the Isle of Man.”

Ms Bello qualified as a doctor in Nigeria in 1982 and has worked and trained in the UK since 1990. She is fully trained in both the specialty of General Surgery and her chosen subspecialty of Oncoplastic Breast Surgery. She has extensive experience in a wide range of advanced breast reconstruction techniques, including primary implant reconstruction, immediate and delayed implant and flap reconstruction, and aesthetic surgery including the use of lipo-modelling (reconstruction of the breast using fatty tissue grafts from other areas of the body). Ms Bello is also fully trained and accredited in sentinel node biopsy using both blue dye and isotopes – this being one of the key services the Department wishes to introduce on the Island.

At the Nottingham Breast Institute, Ms Bello has been responsible for training other surgeons in oncoplastic and breast reconstruction surgery. She was also recently elected as the East Midlands regional representative on the Council of the Association of Breast Surgeons in London.

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