Mr. Steve Eastaugh-Waring
Q: First of all, congratulations on your appointment as Head of School.
Thank you very much. I have aspired to this post ever since starting my educational roles--initially as Postgraduate Tutor for the Severn orthopaedic trainees and latterly as Training Programme Director. I’m absolutely delighted to have been successful and look forward to working with a superb group of colleagues and such engaged and high-achieving trainees.
Q: Could you tell us a little about your background?
After medical school and junior doctor training in Sheffield, I was appointed to the surgical training program in Frenchay and subsequently the Severn specialist registrar rotation before moving to the academic side as the lecturer in 1998. I was appointed as a Consultant T&O surgeon in North Bristol in 2003, following fellowships in Canada. My educational portfolio is as above and I’m currently the Clinical Director at North Bristol in addition. So I guess you could say I’m an educational “insider” in the management structure!
Outside work I have a young family on whom I dote and who continually make me laugh and keep me very grounded! I have maintained an interest in triathlon in attempt to stay sane and try to do one ironman distance race a year. Just an excuse to go to nice locations in reality!
Q: What made you want to be a surgeon? And why T&O specifically?
I’ve always been a very practical person and surgery, indeed orthopaedics in particular, lends itself to that mind-set. I’d also like to think that we orthopods are too intelligent for anything else, but clearly that also shows exactly how little insight I have! I’m also lucky to have worked in very cohesive and enjoyable orthopaedic departments throughout my training and I do believe we all try to emulate those who we respect and enjoy working with. I've used that as a personal mantra throughout my senior roles--the importance of engagement and enjoyment amongst trainees cannot be under-estimated.
Q: I’ve noticed T&O has an almost fraternal aspect to it. Can you tell me what that’s about?
You’re absolutely right. I think this also explains why it’s currently such a popular specialty in training and consultant job applications. Although it may go against many people’s stereotype of orthopaedics, all the experience I’ve had reinforces how inclusive a specialty we are. In addition, certainly in Severn and Peninsula, there’s a real interest and drive toward educational excellence, and for somebody of my background this was always very attractive. For example, orthopaedic trainees have, for the last 15 years, had protected teaching time across the region for a half day every week and this has been robustly maintained against service pressures. This can only work with the buy-in and engagement of clinicians and management in all Trusts.
Q: Surgery-wise, what do you consider to be your greatest achievements?
I think that entering a rotation where I so enjoyed the training and the lifestyle (serendipity really--no GMC surveys in those days!) and my fellowship in Canada were both real landmark career moves for me. I would recommend careful thought and selection around one’s fellowships and aim to make yourself unique and different from all those people competing for subsequent jobs.
I firmly believe that if one is working in a teaching environment, with very occasional exceptions, the vast majority of cases should be done by the trainee with senior supervision (according to seniority) and having this approach from the start of my consultant post has set the scene for my subsequent decade of working life. I believe it's important to start life as a trainer with this mind set, because it becomes increasingly difficult to change one's approach as time goes by.
From a practical point of view, learning and gaining expertise in the developing area of hip arthroscopy has been a real challenge but I’m very glad to have gone through that in a more senior position. It has reminded me in a very real way of the challenge in learning new procedures--a challenge which many of our trainees go through every day of their lives. I can promise you all, learning and change doesn't get any easier with age!
Q: Greatest achievements outside surgery?
My daughters—it still amazes and surprises me that one so grumpy and haggard can produce something so wonderful!
I’m tremendously proud of my triathlon career and was fortunate enough to represent Great Britain at age-group level in 1999 and 2002. Still love it to this day, although maybe a little slower now...
But of course, the pinnacle- achieving the role of Head of School.
Obviously!
Q: Would you tell us a little about your plans/goals for the School of Surgery?
I feel very fortunate to have been left the School by Richard Canter in such a rude state of health, but that equally gives me the problem of trying to emulate such an achievement. I’d like to continue the atmosphere of approachability (a real hallmark of Richard's tenure), and I’d like to engage more of the educational supervisors in the ARCP process, as I believe this would have huge gains for trainers, trainees and TPDs alike. Further development of the formal training in leadership, simulation and generic skills which Richard was so successful in starting will only add to our portfolio of expertise, and in addition, the “Deanery” is constantly changing with our links to Peninsula becoming stronger, and with this development comes real opportunity. Finally, I think we can advertise Severn’s success nationally even more than we have in the past and I’m absolutely of the opinion that this is THE place to train in the UK.
I’m really looking forward to engaging with all those colleagues and trainees who I haven’t met in my previous roles and would at any stage of my tenure encourage feedback from all those involved in our education process- of whichever form. We must constantly develop and change, and we can only do this with the involvement of everyone concerned.
On that note, please feel free to contact me with comments or questions on
Steve.Eastaugh-Waring@southwest.hee.nhs.uk
I aim to check this every two to three days but for more urgent issues Chad is at his desk every day of the week and can find me at short notice.
A very happy New Year to all!
With daughters
A new mountain to climb....
(C. Elliott)