ASGBI has established a patient liaison group over the past year to bring the patient’s voice in to our work. We are delighted to have them and you will be able to read from their introductions below how their diverse experiences, shared purpose and deep commitment to improving surgical care will bring a collective strength to ASGBI. Their voices offer vital insight that helps shape a more compassionate, patient-centred approach to everything we do and remind us why the patient perspective must always be part of the conversation.
I encourage members to reach out to our patient representatives via admin@asgbi.org.uk; they are always willing to collaborate and support projects that drive meaningful change.
Jackie Bullock
I am proud to be one of the first patient representatives with the ASGBI and look forward to getting to know members and working together with the sub committees. I became involved in patient representation after hernia surgery left me with chronic pain. I am currently a board member with British Hernia Society and chair the patient committee for the European Hernia Society. I firmly believe that surgery should be a partnership of care with both parties playing their own roles. I don't think it matters what condition a patient is experiencing, we all have the same expectations, surgery is a journey which should be travelled together. My specific interests are around education for both patients and non technical skills for surgeons. I believe that patients want surgery to be a partnership of care with access to high quality information on all ascpects of treatment and joint decision making. I am also passionate about patient prehabilitation and giving us the tools we need to make positive changes to our lifestyles in order to give the best possible chances of successful surgeries.
Nicola Dames
As both a nurse and a patient, I bring a dual perspective to surgical care. I trained as a nurse and worked in a neuro intensive care unit while navigating my own diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. This experience gave me an in-depth understanding of pre-operative assessment, post-op recovery, and the challenges when things don’t go as planned. I’ve had the privilege of caring for patients during critical moments and standing beside colleagues during some of their most difficult conversations. I’ve seen the importance of communication, compassion, and understanding — traits instilled in me by my family and honed throughout my career. Undergoing a subtotal colectomy in my late twenties transformed my life and gave me newfound freedom from my disease. It also shifted my career path - I became a mother, started my own business, and developed a deep interest in patient-led research. I’ve long questioned why some medical practices remain unchanged despite evidence, and I believe the answer often lies in the lack of patient involvement. That belief led me to become a published first author of patient-led research - one of my proudest achievements. I joined ASGBI to help bridge that gap: to bring the patient voice into surgical conversations and contribute to a future where patient experience is recognised as a vital part of progress and innovation in surgery.
Susannah Hill
My background is that I suffered serious complications after my surgery and found it psychologically difficult to come to terms with my experiences. My passion is to improve the emotional support given to patients in my situation. However, I also appreciate how difficult it can be for surgeons when serious complications occur, hence my projects focus on the training and emotional support that surgeons may need, to ensure that they are in the best frame of mind to support their patients and their families.After my surgical complications, I retrained to be a registered nurse, as I wanted to use my experiences in a constructive way.
Paul Sheridan
Hello and good day to you all.My name is Paul Sheridan, from Nottinghamshire. I was initially invited to apply to become a Patient's Representative for the ASGBI by my last surgeon, Prita Daliya. I have had a bit of a torrid time over the past 5 years with several major surgeries. I would like to pay something back for the wonderful care I have been given which has extended my life longer than expected, and if sharing my experiences of surgery and aftercare is useful then I am more than willing. It is the very least I can do.I have had a great interest in my local hospital for the past 12 years, and applied to become a govenor, only for illness to prevent it. I'm looking forward to the role and meeting lots of impressive people!
