Professor Simon Kay BA, BMBCh, FRCS, FRCS(Plast) FRCSE(Hon)
Professor Simon Kay is a consultant plastic surgeon on the General Medical Council specialist register and specialises in all aspects of plastic surgery particularly cosmetic surgery, breast surgery, hand surgery and major nerve surgery.
Professor Kay has a large childrens’ plastic surgery practice and over the last 25 years, has developed a very extensive cosmetic surgery practice.
Professor Kay is the editor of an award winning textbook and is the current editor of the Oxford Textbook of Plastic Surgery. He has run educational courses in cosmetic surgery and also teaches cosmetic surgery. Professor Kay publishes regularly in scientific peer review journals and contributes to a wide range of textbooks as an invited author.
Mr Mark Liddington MB BS, DPhil, FRCS, FRCS(Plast), FRACS(Plast)
Mr Liddington specialises in the management and reconstruction of patients with head and neck conditions including craniofacial abnormalities, facial palsy and cancers. He also undertakes specialist breast surgery services and is the Director of Surgery at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals.
Mr Christopher Fenn MBChB, FCS (SA) (Plast), FRCS(Plast)
Mr Chris Fenn trained as a plastic surgeon at the world-renowned Groote Schuur Hospital in Capetown. After completing his fellowship and further plastic surgery training at various hospitals across London, Mr Chris Fenn became a consultant in Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ in 2000.
As a consultant plastic surgeon at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals, Mr Chris Fenn leads the breast reconstructive service – operating primarily on cancer patients and those with congenital abnormalities. He has extensive experience in performing microsurgical flap breast reconstruction.
As part of his breast work, Mr Chris Fenn undertakes breast reduction on men with gynaecomastia (the growth of excess male breast tissue).
Mr Chris Fenn is also part of the region’s skin cancer treatment team and has a key role in reconstruction following the excision of skin cancers.
Miss Grainne Bourke FRCSI, FRCS(Plast)
Gráinne Bourke is a Consultant in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals since 2004. She completed her basic surgical training in Dublin, Ireland before moving to Yorkshire to train in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery. She completed an international fellowship in children’s hand surgery and major nerve injuries in 2003/2004.
She has specialist interests in microsurgery in children and adult, children’s hand surgery and nerve injuries in adult and children.
She has research interests in nerve repair, congenital hand anomalies and plastic surgery reconstruction. She is the Academic Supervisor of the Specialist Registrar NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Plastic Surgery, overseeing novel research into the role of MRI in brachial plexus injuries.
Mr Howard Peach MB, ChB, BSc, FRCS(Plast)
Mr Ian M Smith MB ChB, MSc, FDSRCS(Eng), FRCS(Ed), FRCS(Eng), FRCS(Plast)
Mr Ian Smith graduated from University of Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ and undertook his plastic surgery training in Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ and the Yorkshire region. He undertook two fellowships in Australia – a year in the Australian Craniofacial Unit in Adelaide and a year in the Royal Brisbane Hospital in Queensland.
His main sub-specialty is Sarcoma surgery and he is MDT lead clinician for the Yorkshire Sarcoma Service which is based at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ General Infirmary and St James’s Hospital.
He is also heavily involved in the training of the plastic surgery trainees and is Training Programme Director for the Yorkshire and Humber Region.
Mr Daniel Thornton MBChB, MRCS, MPhil, FRCS(Plast), Diploma in Hand Surgery
Daniel Thornton is a Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals, based at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ General Infirmary. He is also an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ.
He graduated from the University of Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Medical School and completed his specialist training in plastic surgery in the Yorkshire region gaining FRCS(Plast). Following this, Daniel undertook further specialist training in hand surgery, comprising two nationally recognised advanced training fellowships in hand surgery (Pulvertaft Centre, Derby; Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ General Infirmary, Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ). During this time he also successfully passed the Diploma in Hand Surgery.
Daniel’s interests include medical education and he regularly teaches on postgraduate hand surgery and advanced trauma and life support courses run by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, London, in addition to regionally organised courses in hand and plastic surgery.
He offers a comprehensive range of plastic, hand and aesthetic/cosmetic surgery procedures and his private practice (Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Spire & Nuffield Hospitals) mirrors his NHS specialist interests of hand surgery, skin cancer, breast surgery, abdominoplasty and body contouring surgery following excess weight loss.
Miss Catherine Hernon BSc, MBChB, AFRCS (Ed), MD, FRCS(Plast)
Cath Hernon has been a Consultant Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgeon at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals since 2010.
She completed her specialist training in plastic and reconstructive surgery in the Yorkshire region and then gained further experience in hand surgery by undertaking hand fellowship posts in Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ and the St Andrews Centre for plastic surgery and burns in Chelmsford.
She also spent a year as a microsurgical fellow in Taiwan gaining further experience in microsurgical and nerve reconstruction at the E-Da hospital in Kaohsiung and at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei.
Prior to starting her consultant post she spent a sabbatical in Norrland’s University Hospital in Umea, Sweden furthering her experience in the surgical treatment of upper limb spasticity.
Her specialist interests are adult hand surgery, peripheral nerve and brachial plexus injury, upper limb spasticity and microsurgery.
Mr Robert Bains MBChB (Hons), BSc, MRCS (Eng), FRCS(Plast)
Robert Bains is a Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand surgeon and became a consultant at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals in 2017.
He graduated with honours from Leicester University before undertaking speciality Plastic Surgery training in the Yorkshire and Humber region. He then progressed to fellowship training in microsurgery in Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ followed by Paediatric Plastic Surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada
His areas of special interest are children’s hand surgery and major nerve injury, in addition to general plastic and hand surgery.
Miss Jenny Goodenough FRCS(Plast)
Mr Waseem Bhat MD, MRCS, MSc, FRCS(Plast), Dip Hand Surg (Br)
Waseem Bhat is a Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals, and an honorary lecturer at the University of Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ.
He completed his basic surgical training in the Yorkshire Deanery, followed by plastic surgical training in Oxford and Bristol. He then completed his specialist training in plastic and reconstructive surgery on the North East Deanery rotation. Following this, Waseem undertook an advanced training fellowship in microsurgery and lower limb reconstruction at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ General Infirmary and a nationally appointed advanced training programme fellowship (Training Interface Group) in hand surgery at the Queen Elizabeth and Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham.Â
During his training he gained an MSc in reconstructive microsurgery and has completed the British Diploma in Hand Surgery.Â
His main specialist interests are microsurgery, adult hand surgery, adult nerve injuries and reconstruction of complex upper and lower limb defects.
Mr Christopher West MBChB, BMedSci (Hons), MRCS (Eng), PhD, FRCS(Plast)
Chris West is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals, and an honorary lecturer at the University of Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ. He graduated from Sheffield Medical School and undertook his basic surgical training in Yorkshire, followed by specialist training in plastic and reconstructive surgery in Edinburgh and Dundee. He returned to Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ to undertake an advanced training fellowship in sarcoma surgery and lower limb reconstruction and was appointed as consultant in 2020.
His main clinical interests are sarcoma surgery, microsurgery, and reconstruction of complex lower limb defects.
He has been actively involved in research throughout his career. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Edinburgh for his research on stem cells and tissue engineering. Following this he was appointed as a clinical lecturer in plastic surgery and awarded a post-doctoral training fellowship investigating tissue repair and scarring.
Twitter: @Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵPlastSurg
Mr James Smith FRCS(Plast)
Mr James Smith is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals specialising in Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer.
After graduating with honours at the University of Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ in 2007, Mr Smith completed his core surgical training in the Severn Deanery. During this time he completed a Post graduate Certificate in Medical Education at the University of Dundee. He went on to complete his specialist Plastic Surgery training in Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber in 2020. In 2016, Mr Smith was awarded Membership of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers of Edinburgh after demonstrating his ability to train and educate in a number of fields. As part of his training, Mr Smith completed fellowships with Mr Ian Smith in Lower Limb and Sarcoma and with Mr Howard Peach in Skin Oncology.
Mr Smith has over 25 publications and 35 presentations in a broad spectrum of Plastic Surgery. Evidence of research can be found at .
 Meet the Psychologist
Dr Maggie Bellew BA(Hons), MSc, PhD, CPychol, AFBPsS
Dr Bellew is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, and has Chartered Clinical Psychologist status and also Chartered Health Psychologist status. She is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and is registered with the Health Professions Council. She is Head of Adult Psychology Services at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ Teaching Hospitals.
She qualified in 1991, having obtained a joint honours degree in Psychology and Biology, a PhD in Psychology and an MSc in Clinical Psychology. Her areas of specialist clinical interest include: Hand surgery, Craniofacial conditions, Cosmetic surgery, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Lipodystrophy, Disfigurement / managing appearance related distress, Psychological management of teasing and bullying, Psychological adjuncts or alternatives to surgery, Trauma work (assessment and treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, phobias, depression, appearance related distress, adaptation to trauma and amputation), Facilitating pre-surgical decision making, preparation and support for surgery and post-surgical therapy, Aiding patients and their families in their psychological adjustment to their condition or the outcome of surgery, Unexplained Physical Symptoms (assessment and intervention with patients with unexplained conditions, suspected of tampering with wounds, with self inflicted injuries, or experiencing more pain or difficulties than would be expected), Mental health difficulties (e.g. depression, stress, anxiety, OCD, phobias, sexual abuse issues, eating disorders).
She played an integral role in the UK’s first hand transplant case which was performed at Ä¢¹½tvÊÓƵ General Infirmary and included assisting the patient through their decision-making process, assessing psychological suitability for hand transplant, helping the team with selecting suitable candidates, patient support and advocacy (pre-operatively, during the hospital stay, at the point of surgery and post-operatively), long-term patient support and adjustment to hand transplant, research and team support.