New clinical leadership team to drive forward GIRFT’s work in ENT services

04 December 2024

A new clinical leadership team has been appointed to drive forward GIRFT’s work to maximise productivity in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery specialty.

Two clinical leads and two clinical advisors are now in place as the workstream further focuses on reducing the number of long waiting patients in England and developing new models of care, building on the work of former ENT clinical lead Francis (Frank) Stafford. Going forwards, the workstream will have an additional focus on paediatric patients. 

The new appointments are:

• Jeremy Davis, GIRFT ENT clinical lead: Consultant ENT surgeon at Medway NHS Foundation Trust
• Sujata (Su) De, GIRFT paediatric ENT clinical lead: Paediatric ENT surgeon at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool and the national specialty adviser for specialised surgery in children for NHS England
• Puveendran Arullendran, GIRFT ENT clinical advisor: Consultant in otolaryngology at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
• Annakan Navaratnam, GIRFT ENT clinical advisor: ENT consultant surgeon at the Royal National ENT Hospital, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and an honorary consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT chair and NHS England’s National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery, said:

“I am delighted to welcome these highly experienced clinicians to the GIRFT programme, as we focus our efforts in the ENT specialty on making sure patients are seen more quickly, and in particular on our younger patients. Frank [Stafford] has done a sterling job in supporting a reduction in the variation we know exists in ENT services and I look forward to celebrating the ongoing successes of this strengthened ENT clinical leadership team as they work to maximise productivity nationally.”