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Our dedicated team wants your visit to be as comfortable as possible, and guarantees that the treatment you receive is second to none. We'll make sure you're looked after.
John O'Brien
Hospital Director
John O'Brien joined Care UK as hopsital director for both North East London and Will Adams Treatment centres in January 2018. John was previously the deputy managing director of Care UK's secondary healthcare division, which runs the nine treatment centres on behalf of the NHS.
His professional experience includes heading up Care UK's North West Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (CATS), a mobile diagnostic service that provided innovative community-based services to tens of thousands of patients across 12 NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) over the last seven years.
John has also been a hospital director for Bupa Hospitals and Spire as well as acting as interim Hospital Director at Care UK's Emersons Green and Devizes NHS Treatment Centre last year. Before working in healthcare, John worked in logistics and aviation for such household names as Sainsbury, Servisair and Menzies.
John said on joining "I have had a real sense of pride in supporting our great team to deliver excellent healthcare services to the communities we serve. I believe my previous experience will help us ensure we have exactly the right people providing the right services in a way that ensures we deliver the best possible NHS care for patients, along with exceptional value for commissioners.
"The centre's are in thriving areas with a diverse and growing population and we will be working with our respective patient forums and the CCGs we serve to ensure we continue to run and develop excellent healthcare services tailored to the needs of our patients."
John is married to Claire and has two children in further education.
Ben Howes
Deputy Hospital Director
Ben has been working for Care UK since 2013, coming from a background in IT & analytics before progressing onto change management.
Ben most recently worked within Care UK to review the patient pathway within its treatment centres, looking for process and efficiency improvements in a highly complex environment, in conjunction with the clinical teams.
In his current role as Deputy Hospital Director, Ben is responsible for the day-to-day running of all clinical and non-clinical aspects of the treatment centre, including financial performance, capacity planning and stakeholder management.
Linda Davies
Head of Nursing and Professions
Linda qualified in 1987 and completed her Masters in 2009. She has a vast amount of experience within the NHS and was previously a Matron at a neighbouring NHS Trust.
Linda joined North East London NHS Treatment Centre in 2015 as our Quality and Governance Manager. She feels that her past experience and passion for quality patient care can make a difference. Linda looks at all aspects of the patients' stay and is keen to hear from relatives or patients with any comments or suggestions that may improve patient experience.
In January 2017, Linda was appointed Acting Head of Nursing and Professions.
Mr Tan VanDal
Mr VanDal has worked in the NHS as a consultant urologist for over 25 years. He was based at Barking, Havering & Redbridge University hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) where he held a number of senior medical and managerial positions including the position of Director of Urology, Director of Specialist Surgery and Director of Surgical Division. He also chaired the North East London Cancer Network-Urology Tumour Advisory Board and established a well-respected accredited Urology Cancer Centre.
Towards the end of his tenure he was Associate Medical Director with responsibility for CCG Liaison, internal professional standards and implementation of London Quality Standards for Emergency Surgery. Mr VanDal has also worked for several Clinical Commissioning Group (CCGs) in the South and North East of London, including Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge (BHR).
Having recently moved over to a elective care treatment centre, he believes that collaboration and partnerships with all stakeholders is vital for providing the best possible care. One of his main goals at both the North East London NHS Treatment Centre and Will Adams NHS Treatment Centre is to ensure clinical engagement with our primary care practitioners, practices and clinical directors so that we are able to provide good quality of care with streamlined referral pathways in partnerships with GP Federations. This includes delivering one-stop consultant delivered services with patient satisfaction and good clinical outcomes underpinned by audit and evidence.
Your consultants
Fatemeh Hani
Anaesthetic Lead and Consultant Anaesthetist
Dr Fatemeh Hani joined North East London NHS Treatment centre in January 2016 as a consultant anaesthetist but has been working as an anaesthetist for over 25 years.
As a consultant anaesthetist, Dr. Hani performs all types of anaesthetics for all required surgical fields such as General surgery, Eye surgery, Orthopaedics, Endoscopy, Shoulder surgery, ENT, Gynaecology and Urology.
Dr. Hani completed her medical education at the faculty of medicine at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She also completed her anaesthetic speciality and became a consultant anaesthetist from the same university. Dr Hani has GMC regsitration in Denmark and the UK. She is also a member of the Royal college of anaesthetists, the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Medical Protection Soceity.
Dr Hani is specifically interested in regional anaesthetics as well as post-operative pain management and regularly performs audits to improve patient safety and satisfaction.
Dr Hani in her spare time loves reading, walking and swimming!
Rahij Anwar
Orthopeadic Clinical Lead and Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon
Mr Rahij Anwar (FRCS, Diploma, MSc, MRCS and MS) joined Care UK as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in September 2018, working for both North East London NHS Treatment Centre and Will Adams NHS Treatment Centre, Gillingham. Mr Anwar has worked in healthcare for over 25 years with 5 years as an NHS consultant in the UK. Mr Anwar is also the Clinical Lead for Orthopaedics at both North East London and Will Adams.
Mr Rahij Anwar is a lower limb surgeon. Mr Anwar has a special interest in hip and knee replacements and knee sports surgery, including ACL and patellofemoral issues. He also performs general orthopaedic procedures including operations on bunion, toes etc.
Before joining Care UK, Mr Anwar worked as a locum consultant for over two years in many NHS hospitals before joining as a substantive consultant orthopaedic surgeon in Pilgrim Hospital, Boston (Lincolnshire), completing in the South East Thames (St Thomas & King's College) rotation in 2012.
Besides publishing research articles in the peer-reviewed journals, Mr Anwar has also authored three textbooks whilst being a regular columnist for the BMA New smagazine for the past 10 years. Mr Anwar is also a member of three major professional organisations, the British Orthopaedic Association, the British Medical Association and the Medical Protection Society.
Mr Anwar is extremely passionate about patient care, professional and personal development and learning from reflection, whilst in his spare time he loves travelling and spending time with his wife and children.
Khalil Razvi
Consultant Gynaecologist
Khalil Razvi (MBBChBAO, MMed, FRCOG) has worked in healthcare for 30 years. Khalil joined our treatment centre in May 2018 as our Consultant Gynaecologist. Khalil will provide outpatient and daycase gynaecology services.
Khalil has been a Consultant Gynaecologist since 2001 and has extensive experience in gynaecology, colposcopy and gynaecological oncology. Khalil is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Thorwald Springer
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Thorwald Springer started his work at Care UK as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in March 2011. He graduated at Poznan University in 1997 and completed his specialist orthopaedic training in 2007.
He underwent training rotation in orthopaedic and trauma hospitals in Poland and UK as well as training courses at Royal College of Surgeons.
His main interest are in hip and knee surgery including primary, routine and complex hip and knee replacements, hip resurfacing, hip and knee osteotomies for the young adult, revision total hip and knee replacements, oncology/reconstruction orthopaedics.
He also enjoys hand and foot surgery. He has been trained to use modern surgical techniques currently available within UK NHS including knee replacement computer navigation.
Dominika Palcovicova
Consultant Anaesthetist
Dominika Palcovicova has been a Consultant Anaesthetist working across both the Will Adams and North East London NHS treatment centre sites since November 2015.
With twenty years' healthcare experience, Dominika is a Doctor of General medicine as well holding a diploma in anaesthetics and Intensive care medicine from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2014, Dominika received a specialist diploma in Anaesthetics and Intensive care medicine from the Slovak medical University. Dominika is also a member of 3 professional bodies, namely RCA, AAGBI and the Slovak Medical Chamber.
Dominika's core responsibilities are to oversee the provision of anaesthetic services at both treatment centres, whilst also looking after the pain management of patients in the post anaesthetic recovery unit. Dominika is also the anaesthetic clinical governance lead for Will Adams.
Dominika is extremely passionate about patient safety, improving the patient's pathway, experience and analgesia.
Outside of work, Dominika enjoys a wide range of leisure activities. From outdoor hobbies like Mountain Hiking, cycling, skiing and swimming to taking time in cultural activities, enjoying classical music, art and opera. However, spending quality time with her family is the most important to her.
Ian Crate
Care UK General Surgery Clinical Lead and Consultant General Surgeon
Ian Crate is a highly skilled General Surgeon with a wealth of surgical experience spanning a 35-year career medical career.
Qualifying at Guys Hospital Medical School in 1979, Mr Crate embarked upon his medical career, beginning as a Regimental Medical Officer with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Following this he undertook his surgical training which he completed in 1994, and worked as a surgeon within the Army, touring the Gulf, Central America and Bosnia.
Before joining Care UK in April 2009, Mr Crate worked as a Consultant General Surgeon at Bassetlaw Hospital near Sheffield where he focussed on colorectal cancer surgery, and laparoscopic (keyhole surgery) and complex hernia surgery.
He is now the Clinical Director for General Surgery and Urology for Care UK, and is responsible for ensuring that the General Surgery departments across Care UK treatment centres run smoothly and within clinical regulations. He is always on the lookout for new technologies and new ways to improve surgical procedures to benefit patients and improve their experience when having surgery. In addition to his role as Clinical Director for General Surgery and Urology, Mr Crate is a Consultant General Surgeon at North East London NHS Treatment Centre, carrying out General Surgery procedures as well as patient appointments before and after surgery.
In addition to Mr Crate's remarkable career, he has also been awarded several prestigious accolades including the Parke's Memorial prize for Medicine, the Gulf Medal and Clasp, the Liberation of Kuwait Medal and the UNPROFOR Medal.
Outside of work, Mr Crate enjoys nothing more than a walk with his dogs. He is also a keen gardener and cook, and has a nose for a good wine.
Nabil Abdul-Hamid
Consultant General Surgeon
Mr Hamid is a full time Consultant in General Surgery at North East London Treatment Centre with particular interests in laparoscopic gallbladder and hernia surgery, and surgery for haemorrhoids. Previously, he was a Consultant in General Surgery at hospitals in Hungary.
Ernest Onyema
Ophthalmology Clinical Lead and Consultant Ophthalmologist
Mr Onyema is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at North East London NHS Treatment Centre. His areas of interest include: cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment (with a focus on primary care development and electronic integration with secondary care) and occulo-plastic surgery.
Ophthalmology Training
South East Region including Clinical Glaucoma Service Fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital London.
Medical Liaison Officer, Royal Medical Benevolence Fund
Trustee, Harlow Citizens Advice Bureau
UK representative, GEANCO Foundation
Previous consultant level posts
Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and Braintree Community Hospital
Member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, London
Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
Member of the British Medical Association
Member of the Medical Defence Union
Janos Fabula
Mr Fabula is a Consultant in Orthopaedics with a particular interest in lower limb reconstruction surgery, Oxford partial knee replacement, arthroscopy, bunion surgery and forefoot corrections. He is full time at North East London Treatment Centre helping keep turnaround times exceptionally low, yet with high standards of care and exceptionally high patient satisfaction scores. He has been part of the team responsible for consulting orthopaedics difficult cases and organising internal clinical audits.
Attila Pataki
Mr Pataki is a Consultant in Orthopaedics with a particular interest in knee and complex forefoot surgery, whilst undertaking a large number of total hip replacements, knee arthroscopies, carpal tunnel decompressions and minor hand operations. He is full time at North East London Treatment Centre and is one of the consultant staff responsible for the Unit's exceptionally high standards and short wait times.
Sengodan Venkateswaran
Mr Venkat is a Consultant in Orthopaedics undertaking a broad range of orthopaedic major and minor procedures, inclusive of arthroscopies and joint injections. His main interests are hip and knee replacements and he was trained at London, Cambridge, Birmingham and Edinburgh before becoming a Consultant. He is well known to the local community, with his wife a local GP.
Nurul Ahad
Care UK Orthopaedic Clinical Lead & Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Ahad graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine before continuing his basic surgical and orthopaedic specialist training through North East London rotation. This included one year in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and three years at the Royal London Hospital. He was appointed at Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals in 2010 as a Trauma Consultant where he helped improve the trauma service in one of the busiest trusts in the country. His interest in sports injury, complex fractures and hip pathology has led to several publications, and international presentations.
He joined Care UK in 2014, managing general orthopaedic conditions as well as sub-specialty in joint replacement and arthroscopic surgery. He is a meticulous, patient focused surgeon with a proven track record for delivering an excellent quality of service. He remains dedicated to teaching, audit and ongoing research. He has led and participated in numerous courses to train our next generation of surgeons.He is now the Clinical Director of Orthopaedic Surgery for CareUK, the challenge is to maintain high standards in all our sites.
He is a member of the British Orthopaedic Association and faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. He holds a health care advisory role to an NGO that has a care programme, including disaster relief, to over 70 countries.
Outside work he has been involved with the arts as a performer and later instructor/coordinator with events in the Royal Albert Hall, O2, Excel and Bloomsbury Theatre. He remains a keen sportsman enjoying Sunday League football and badminton. He relishes challenges linked with good causes and recently completed the London Marathon, Spanish Bull Run and Skydiving and continues to look for other adventures to raise awareness and money for charities.
Medhat Hashem
Anaesthetist Lead
Medhat has been a consultant anaesthetist since 2002. His outstanding academic record speaks for itself. He has double fellowships from both the Royal College of Anaesthetists (London) and the College of Anaesthetists (Dublin) and an accreditation diploma in trans-oesophageal echocardiography (France). He defended his MD (PhD equivalent) thesis while being a research fellow in Leiden University (The Netherlands).
As a perioperative physician, Medhat is striving to improve the quality of peri-operative patient care. He is keen to publish our data and set it as a benchmark for comparison against other national and international institutions. He is especially interested in looking after high risk patients and the use of ultrasound to improve the quality of postoperative pain relief.
Zaneta Priscepionkaite
Dr. Zaneta has worked as an anaesthetist for over 10 years and joined the North East London NHS Treatment Centre team in November 2015. She was educated at Vilnius University (Faculty of Medicine) in Lithuania and went on to have speciality training which she completed in 2009 giving GMC Specialist registration in November 2009. Dr. Zaneta has also been part of the Royal College of Anaesthetists since 2012, the Difficult Airway Society, the AAGBI and the MDU.
As a consultant anaesthetist, Dr. Zaneta peforms anaesthetics for all required surgical fields such as general, eye surgery, orthopaedics, dental, endoscopy, as well as providing pre-assessment clinic services. She is also a member of the antibiotic stewardship committee.
Dr. Zaneta is interested in pre-assessment and optimisations of high risk non-cardiac surgical patients as well as patient safety and human factors in perioperative care. Dr. Zaneta's other area of interest is the difficult airway.
Previously Dr. Zaneta has had roles within obstetrics & gynaecology, urology, ENT, neuro-anaesthesia, trauma, emergency, other specialities of anaesthesia and ITU.
Outside of work, Dr. Zaneta loves travelling and exploring new cultures.
Goran Jejina
Goran is an experienced and highly educated anaesthetist. He first qualified in 1981 at the University of Zagreb in Croatia, and since then, alongside his career in anaesthetics, he has completed a Master's Degree (MSc) in Clinical Pharmacology (1989), and a PhD in 'Anaesthesia with combination of opioids' (1994).
Upon moving to the UK in 1999, Goran completed 8 years of training at Barts and the London School of Anaesthesia to qualify as a Consultant Anaesthetist. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2004, and joined the Specialist Register of GMC in 2008, which is when he joined Care UK at the North East London NHS Treatment Centre.
Goran has a particular interest in regional anaesthesia (local anaesthetic) and strives to ensure that patients experience as little pain as possible following surgery. He is continuously developing his skills, and in 2012, he was awarded the European Diploma in Regional Anaesthesia (EDRA).
Outside of work, Goran enjoys playing basketball.
Jeevani Jayawardena
Jeevani Jayawardene has been a Consultant Anaesthetist at the North East London NHS Treatment Centre since January 2007, and is our current Obesity Lead. With twenty five years of healthcare experience, Jeevani holds MBBS, MD and FRCA qualifications, as well as being a member of three professional bodies, namely, MDU, RCOA and AAGBI. Jeevani received a gold medal during her MD in her native Sri Lanka and when she's not at work she's an active member of a charity organisation which sets up scholarship funds for students in Sri Lanka.