IFU - Staff Biographies

Professor Simon Lal is a Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Manchester and has been Clinical Lead of the Intestinal Failure Unit since 2012. He trained in the U.K. and Canada, before becoming a consultant gastroenterologist in 2006, with clinical and academic interests in Clinical Nutrition, Intestinal Failure and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Professor Lal is the UK representative on the Home Artificial Nutrition Committee of the European Society of Clinical Nutrition & Metabolism (ESPEN). He serves or has served on a number of other national and international committees, including ESPEN’s Education & Clinical Practice committee, United European Gastroenterology’s (UEG) Scientific committee, British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Small Bowel & Nutrition, British Intestinal Failure Alliance (BIFA) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers, along with book chapters, and has co-authored multiple national and international guidelines in Clinical Nutrition and Intestinal Failure. As well as being a professor at the University of Manchester since 2016, he was awarded a Visiting Professorship from the University of Chester (2014) and an Honorary Professorship from the University of Salford (2016). Most recently (2022), he has also been awarded the title of ‘Honorary Skou Professor’ by the University of Aarhus, Denmark, which has only been awarded to a limited number of Professors from international universities, with the mutual goals of fostering closer ties and introducing new perspectives to teaching and strengthening research projects between Aarhus and Manchester.

Miss Teubner, originally from Germany, graduated in 1994. She undertook her postgraduate training in the UK in surgery and surgical specialties gaining operative and medical experience in the management of critically ill patients.

Miss Teubner worked since 2001 in the Intestinal Failure Unit - and since 2007 in the capacity of an Associate Specialist. She is a key member of the team for being directly responsible for the day-to-day running of the unit, overseeing and coordinating the care of all medical and surgical patients as well as being a practitioner in venous line management.

Miss Teubner has gained extensive experience in the management of patients with acute intestinal failure, as well as patients requiring long term intestinal rehabilitation (including vascular access management, management of high-output fistulae, short bowel and long term HPN complications). In her role she leads the teaching and supervision of the junior doctors/clinical fellows/advanced practitioners on the unit and has expanded this remit by regularly presenting on national conferences, study days and symposiums as well as lecturing and running workshops on intestinal failure.

Her principal goal is to enhance patient care and this is reflected by her numerous peer-reviewed publications and international presentations around quality initiatives in intestinal failure management.

Dr Ashley Bond is a gastroenterologist with a specialist interest in Intestinal Failure (IF) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).  He completed his medical school training in Birmingham UK, moving to the Mersey and Greater Manchester area to complete specialty training. 

During this time he completed a series of advanced fellowships, including those in endoscopy, IBD, nutrition and IF.  During this time, he also completed an MD at the University of Liverpool.   He was a consultant in Liverpool for 2 years before moving to the IF unit in Salford in 2021.  He has an extensive publication and presentation history, including book chapters, peer reviewed papers and international presentations.

I have been a Specialist Surgeon on the IFU for 13 years. I undertook surgical training in India and the U.K. before specialising in Intestinal Failure. I am responsible for the day-to-day running of the Unit and am the lead Salford clinical representative at the National Small Bowel Transplant forum. I have co-authored a number of papers in IF and lectured at national and international meetings.

Kirstine Farrer was the first consultant dietitian specialising in intestinal failure appointed in the UK in 2005. Kirstine qualified as a dietitian in 1993 from Glasgow Caledonian University and completed her Master of Philosophy Degree in 2002 on “Quality of Life and Nutritional Status of Patients receiving home enteral tube feeding”. 

She has worked on the intestinal failure unit for twenty-one years and was the British Dietetic Association (BDA) representative on the NHS England commissioning panel for Severe Intestinal Failure and continues to be the BDA representative of the NHS England HPN oversight group. She lectures both nationally and internationally on intestinal failure, short bowel syndrome and HPN and regularly teaches student dietitians from Chester University. Kirstine is part of the education faculty which delivers the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Intestinal Failure Experts course and is the dietetic ambassador for the BDA on the British Intestinal Failure Alliance.  This is a specialist multi-professional group of the British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

She has participated in the National Institute of Clinical Excellence expert group on Nutrition Support Quality Standards and the review of their Nutrition Guidelines in 2017. Kirstine has extensive strategic experience of successfully developing multi-professional nutritional pathways to improve care for  patients. Key roles have included;  co-chair of the Salford Malnutrition Task force;  co-chair of the Salford Care Organisation Nutrition and Hydration Steering groups and chairing the clinical reference group for the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership Nutrition and Hydration Programme.

In 2018 Kirstine was awarded the British Dietetic Association Ibex award for  contribution to the profession within the field of nutritional support and intestinal failure.

Claire is a highly specialist dietitian in Intestinal Failure and has worked with the team since 2014. Claire initially gained a BSc (Hons) Biology at The University of Manchester before going on to study for a postgraduate qualification in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Chester. Claire qualified as a dietitian in 2006 and started her career with the Manchester community team, before moving to Salford and gaining experience in renal and gastroenterology dietetics. Following this Claire developed the role of the dietitian from scratch within the Nutrition Support Team, and played a key role in the hospital TPN team for 4 years.

This background enabled Claire to gain her current role in IF, providing dietetic input in a highly specialist area and advising colleagues both locally and nationally. Claire completed her MSc in preoperative carbohydrate loading in 2011, and presented her abstract at the ESPEN Congress in Barcelona. Claire also takes a lead on dietetic student training within the Trust.

Fiona is a highly specialist dietitian in Intestinal Failure and joined the team in 2021.

Fiona initially gained a Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at The University of Nottingham and qualified as a dietitian in 2011.Even early in her career Fiona had a passion for raising awareness of the dietetic profession and has written articles for the British Journal of Primary Care Nursing. Fiona has gained extensive dietetic experience in several different areas of dietetics, including renal, heart and lung transplantation, burns and intensive care. 

She was also the dietetic team leader of the respiratory team at Wythenshawe hospital in Manchester and helped to develop the service. In her previous post she covered the cardiothoracic critical care unit, assessing complex critically ill patients on ECMO requiring TPN helping her gain the skills required for her current role in the IF unit at Salford. 

Fiona completed the ESPEN Intestinal Failure Expert course in 2021 and is working towards completing the PENG clinical update course in 2021/22. Her research interests include empowering patients to self-manage their clinical condition, whilst improving their well-being through their diet and optimising their nutritional status.

Paula is the Business Manager for the Intestinal Failure service. She joined the Intestinal Failure team and Salford Care Organisation in September 2021. Paula has over 16 years' experience of working in the Health service in a variety of settings; General Medical Council, Care Quality Commission, Primary Care but predominantly in the Acute setting. Her career spans a number of sectors including education, legal and the NHS.

Paula holds a BA (Combined Hons) in Modern Languages with Education from the University of Sheffield, a Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) and the Legal Practice Course (LPC).

Paula held a number of corporate, programme management posts and operational roles as Directorate Manager across surgery within the Northern Care Alliance Care Organisations. Experienced in large scale complex NHS acquisitions, she led a number of major change initiatives, including the work on the two legal transactions to prepare for the change in ownership of Oldham, Rochdale and Bury sites to SRFT and North Manchester site to MFT and the dissolution of Pennine Acute Trust in October 2021.

Angela is the HPN Co-ordinator and Unit Manager for the Intestinal Failure Unit, since joining the team in 2011 Angela has gained a wide range of knowledge and experience.  Was a member of the HPN Stakeholder group and helped establish the current HPN documentation. 

Liaising with the Homecare companies I co-ordinate discharges for patients requiring HPN.  Angela also works with the IF team to continually improve patient experiences and deliver centred care.

Michael is the Quality Improvement and Development Lead for the Intestinal Failure Unit, since joining the team in 2011 Michael has delivered a wide portfolio of projects and co-authored several publications in Quality Improvement, Service development and Research.

Michael also continues to engage and facilitate regular patient and public engagement programs to drive patient centred continuous improvements.

Cathy Cawley is the Lead Nurse overseeing the Intestinal Failure Unit located at Salford Care Organisation. Cathy is a member of the NHS Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) Stakeholder group and a key clinical voice for the on-going development of clinical Intestinal Failure (IF) practices.

Cathy also leads by evaluating standards of care in line with evidence-based practice across the field of IF and is committed to supporting and developing others. This includes continuous professional development and collaborating across the network of healthcare providers (including commercial companies). 

Cathy displays visibility, teaching and regularly presents at international & national IF study days and conferences.

Leanne Williamson is the Ward Manager on the Intestinal Failure Unit at Salford Care Organisation, part of the Northern Care Alliance, UK.

Leanne provides leadership to the nursing team, supporting staff in the delivery of evidence based patient centred care and is the lead for development and promotion of complex stoma and wound care management and ensures the effective running of the unit.

Kirsty Hall is a Clinical Nurse Specialist who leads the IFU Outreach team and is a non - medical prescriber. The IF Outreach service plays a crucial role on the IFU and this service is continually developing supporting patients that are in beds outside of the IFU, sometimes within another NHS hospital or in the community. The Outreach service covers a wide range of issues such as bloodwork, management of central venous catheters, catheter care complications, home parenteral nutrition (HPN) and general day to day IF requirements. The service also runs a daily outpatient clinic for patients with IF to obviate hospital admissions.

Andrea Duxbury is a Clinical Nurse Specialist supporting the IFU Outreach service and has over 20 years-experience caring for patients with IF. Andrea provides clinical expertise and leadership to the nursing team on the IFU and support staffs in the delivery of evidence-based patient centred care. Andrea also actively supports the Ward manager and Lead Nurse ensuring the effective running of the unit.

Ashton Ward is the practice educational lead (PEL) on the IFU ensuring the responsibility of clinical supervision, leadership, and development of student nurses in the practice-based education environment.

Ashton also provides clinical expertise and leadership to the nursing team and support staffs in the delivery of evidence-based patient centred care.

In addition, Ashton actively supports the Ward Manager and Lead Nurse ensuring the effective running of the unit.

Lorraine Southern is a Ward Sister on the IFU.  Lorraine is responsible for new starters and ensures local induction.  Lorraine also provides clinical expertise and leadership to the nursing team and support staffs in the delivery of evidence -based patient centred care. In addition, Lorraine actively supports the Ward Manager and Lead Nurse ensuring the effective running of the unit.

Mary Carty is a Ward Sister on the IFU.  Mary has more than 20 years-experience supporting and caring for patients with IF. 

Mary provides clinical expertise and leadership to the nursing team and supports staff in the delivery of evidence-based patient centred care. 

In addition, Mary supports the Ward Manager and Lead Nurse ensuring the effective running of the unit.

Mejanni Andrade is a Ward Sister on the IFU.  Mejanni has more than 8 years-experience supporting and caring for patients with IF.  Mejanni provides clinical expertise and leadership to the nursing team and supports staff in the delivery of evidence-based patient centred care.  In addition, Mejanni supports the Ward Manager and Lead Nurse ensuring the effective running of the unit.

Cath Stansfield, MSc, BSc (hons), NP,  RN. Is currently Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner within the intestinal failure unit at  Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, I have worked in gastroenterology​​​​​​​ and intestinal failure for more twenty years, beginning on the wards as a staff nurse, progressing to ward manager. Within my current role, I work with a team to manage patients with intestinal failure across the inpatient and outpatient setting.  I have led the development of educational modules in IBD and Intestinal failure, and currently lead data entry for the Intestinal Failure Registry for the unit.

I have previously held the position of chair and secretary within the RCN IBD Nurses Network, involved with the national IBD standards, nurses audit and the national IBD registry. I have a number of publications in national and international nursing journals, along with presentations at both national and international level.

I am currently a ICA Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellow supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Maria Barrett is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner/ Dietitian. Maria graduated from Robert Gordon University with a 1st Class Honours BSC in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010. As a dietitian she specialised in renal failure for 8 years before transitioning to the speciality of intestinal failure. She obtained her MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice in 2022.

Maria was appointed as a CAHPR/NIHR Allied Health Professional (AHP) Research Champion in 2019 and has held the role since.

The purpose of this role is to promote local and national research engagement amongst AHPs and provide them with peer support.

She also holds an Honorary Research Assistant appointment with the University of Manchester. As an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Maria works nationally with the British Dietetic Association to support the development of Advanced Practice roles amongst Dietitians. 

After graduating from Salford University with a Bsc (Hons) in Adult Nursing, I started my career on the Intestinal Failure Unit as  registered nurse in 2009. I completed my mentorship in 2012 and became the Practice Education Lead in 2015.

I returned to Salford University to complete my non-medical prescribing qualification in 2018 and went on to further study Advanced Clinical Practice for which I obtained an Msc with Distinction in 2020.

My current role involves the assessment of individuals in both inpatient and outpatient settings, performing routine tests and referring to other services where appropriate. I am a strong believer in person-centred care and getting to know what matters to the patients I see is paramount to me.

In addition to clinical practice, I continue to teach health professionals visiting the Intestinal Failure Unit as well as supporting clinicians from other specialities in their development of clinical skills. I have published work in clinical journals and take part in research projects underpinning practice developments on the unit.

Mr Gavin Leahy has worked as a pharmacist at Salford Royal for 18 years. This includes 12 years' experience in nutrition and gastroenterology, firstly as a member of the hospital nutrition support team and, over the last 9 years, as lead intestinal failure pharmacist.

In addition to this, he is a non-medical prescriber and the pharmacy operational services manager.

I have worked at Salford Royal since qualifying, covering various roles, and specifically specialising in intestinal failure and nutrition for the last 2 years. I am the lead for the clinical nutrition module on the Pharmacy postgraduate diploma at the University of Manchester, as well as being a designated supervisor for trainee pharmacist overseeing their first-year post-graduation.

In addition to this, I am expanding my roles and contribution to the research portfolio of the intestinal failure unit and am a non-medical prescriber.

Dr Katherine Twist is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist on preceptorship working in the Intestinal Failure (IF) service primarily with oversight over the Gastrointestinal psychology service.

Dr Twist completed her undergraduate degree (Psychology BSc) at the University of York and her master’s degree (Health Psychology MSc) at the University of Bath. Throughout both degrees, she always had a special interest in long-term health conditions and worked in diabetes and cardiovascular research for 5 years at King’s College London and the Institute of Psychiatry, before completing her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) at The University of Manchester.

Post qualification, Katherine worked in a Cystic Fibrosis service at Liverpool heart and Chest hospital before joining the Gastrointestinal Psychology Service and Intestinal Failure Unit at Salford Royal Hospital at the beginning of 2019. She has undertaken further specialist training in psychological therapies for physical health conditions and uses an integrative approach consisting of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT), Mindfulness and EMDR in her therapeutic work.

Dr Twist has a strong research background and enjoys the variety of research and service development activities that take place in the department. Her own doctoral research was on the experiences of patients with Gastrointestinal Dysmotility from symptom onset to diagnosis and has presented this and other work at national conferences. She is involved in teaching on Clinical Psychology Doctoral programmes and she clinically supervises doctoral research projects and trainees. She currently holds membership with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Your consultant based at Salford Royal Hospital, or a suitably qualified member of the Intestinal Failure teams may refer you to help support you with difficulties in your psychological well-being.

Professor Gordon Carlson is a consultant general and colorectal surgeon, Honorary Professor of Surgery and surgical lead for the National Intestinal Failure Centre at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, a University of Manchester teaching hospital, a post he has held since 2000.

After a Bsc in Physiology he qualified in Medicine with distinctions from the University of Manchester in 1985 and trained initially in Newcastle. After academic studies leading to his MD in 1993 he was Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Manchester and finally MRC senior clinical fellow, before taking up his current post in 2000. He has written over 220 papers and book chapters and book chapters and has raised over £5 million in grant income, principally relating to sepsis, metabolism, complications of abdominal surgery and intestinal failure.

Professor Carlson has developed many of the current surgical approaches and trained many of the Intestinal Failure surgeons in the UK today. He has been awarded numerous visiting professorships at British, North American and Scandinavian universities and received eponymous awards and medals from the Swedish and Danish surgical societies, as well as from The Royal Colleges of Surgeons of England and Edinburgh. He has advised NHS England on development of intestinal failure services and the management of sepsis and assisted colleagues in Sweden, Denmark and Norway in operating on their own intestinal failure patients and the development of their own specialised intestinal failure services.

Professor Carlson is currently serving as president of the Ileostomy Association and was awarded a CBE in Her Majesty's 2020 New Year's Honours List, in recognition of his national and international contributions to General and Intestinal Failure surgery.

Jonathan Epstein is a Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon. He has worked at the Intestinal Failure Unit at Salford Royal Hospital since 2013. His undergraduate training was at The Universities of Cambridge & Oxford and after basic surgical training in London, he carried out research into peritoneal adhesion formation at The University of Manchester. His higher surgical training was in the North West of England and through a fellowship in Leeds.

He has a strong interest in medical education having been Surgical Tutor and Director of Postgraduate Medical Education at Salford Royal Hospital. He currently sits on the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the executive board of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland.

Derek McWhirter has been a Consultant Colorectal and Intestinal Failure surgeon at Salford Royal since 2019.

His undergraduate training was in Glasgow, followed by basic and higher surgical training in Glasgow and Liverpool. During his higher surgical training he undertook a period of research in the MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science into biomarkers for chemotherapy induced toxicity in colorectal cancer resulting in the award of his MD. He also undertook a Fellowship in Trauma Surgery at Johannesburg General Hospital in South Africa. On completing his Higher Surgical Training, he undertook a Post-CCT Fellowship at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge following which he took up his post at Salford.

He specialises in surgery for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Intestinal Failure.

Nick Lees is a Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon and has undertaken Intestinal Failure surgery at Salford Royal since 2002.

He gives lectures on the management of Intestinal Failure in the UK and overseas and has trained many junior surgeons in IF surgery.

His undergraduate training was at Cambridge and Oxford Universities and much of his postgraduate surgical training was in the North West of England. In 2005 he was elected to the Council of The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland. He previously led the Colorectal Cancer Multidisciplinary Team at Salford Royal. He has led the publication of national guidelines standardising the care of high-risk surgical patients on behalf of The Royal College of Surgeons of England. He has been a member of the Clinical Reference Group for the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit since its inception in 2013.

In 2019 he was voted Public Servant Of The Year for Salford.

Dominic Slade is a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon who has subspecialised in intestinal failure surgery at Salford Royal since appointment in 2006.

His undergraduate training was in Birmingham followed by basic and higher surgical training in Manchester and the North West of England. He spent a year of his higher surgical training as a Specialist Registrar at Salford Royal intimately involved in the management of patients with intestinal failure.

He has a specialist interest in complex abdominal wall defects and reconstruction of the abdomen after fistulation and planned ventral hernia.

This practice covers all patients independent of whether they require parenteral nutrition. He is a keen trainer and educational supervisor for the intestinal failure and abdominal wall senior clinical fellow post which is available for competitive entry each October.