Mr Neville Menezes is a Consultant Pancreatico-biliary Surgeon and is one of the founder members and Trustees of Pancreatic Cancer Action. He is one of the medical advisors on the panel of doctors for the charity, ‘Pancreatic Cancer Action’. He is appointed as the Consultant HPB Surgeon for the Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire Cancer network holding Consultant posts at The Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford and Ashford & St. Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Chertsey Surrey.
His specialist surgical training was in the West of Scotland & The South Thames Deanery. He completed his FRCS from The Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh and thereafter pursued research & specialist training followed by an Intercollegiate FRCS (Gen. Surg.) in 2002.
His Pancreatico-biliary experience and research related to minimally invasive techniques for intractable pancreatic pain was acquired at the Lister Department of Surgery at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary working with Professor CW Imrie and his Hepatobiliary experience was acquired at King’s College Hospital in London. His Laparoscopic Training was at the Minimal Access Therapeutic Training Unit (MATTU) in Guildford.
He strongly believes that any improvement in pancreatic cancer survival will be related to and as a direct consequence of early diagnosis which is also the primary aim of the charity ‘Pancreatic Cancer Action’.
1) What is your current position?
I am appointed as a Laparoscopic & Upper GI Surgeon at Ashford & St. Peter’s hospital NHS Trust and the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford. In addition to treating patients I enjoy and cherish my role in training junior doctors in surgery.
2) What are your proudest achievements?
My wife and two lovely daughters. They have always supported me in my work and play a major role in my aspirations and achievements. I am able to discuss medical topics with my daughters as they both have taken a liking to human sciences. My wife has great empathy in her approach to cancer patients and is always enthusiastic in getting involved in their care with her background in Immunology.
3) What inspires you?
The rapid progress made in science & technology and the application of newer techniques in diagnostics for detecting illnesses early. We are fortunate to be able to practice medicine in an era, where one hears of a new treatment or invention in medicine, almost on a daily basis.
4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?
Fulfilling all expectations of patients can be a very difficult. One has to be able to offer the best care possible with limited resources. Medical care with all its progress and inventions can be very expensive. However our NHS is still one of the best health care systems in the world and despite the day to day obstacles that I face, I am proud to be able to play a significant role within the NHS.
5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
My Wife Elizabeth, a research scientist by profession, who gave up her time and aspirations to allow me to achieve my goals and dreams. She has been a constant encouragement in times when I have felt low and also a boost to my energy levels when tasks seemed impossible.
6) What is the best aspect about your current role?
To be able to serve, my patients well and offer them the benefits of advanced medicine and surgery. When I see a patient with cancer being cured, I feel I have achieved something great and important.
7) And the worst?
Political influence and bureaucracy has made it difficult for doctors to practice medicine. The constant change that one has to put up with, makes it very difficult to fulfil patient expectations.
8) What are your long term goals?
We have come a long way in our management of cancer and other diseases in the UK. I am very keen to take this progress to parts of this world where medical care is poor. What we take for granted very often can only be dreamt by people in these countries.
9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
I would invite suggestions for the future of healthcare reforms from doctors working on the shopfront. The medical profession currently is battling with limited resources and high patient expectations. As patients are living longer and health and social care is getting very expensive it is time to be honest with the electorate about what can be realistically funded in our NHS.
10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
Given the opportunity I would not mind being marooned with Dr Joseph Lister, “the greatest surgical benefactor to mankind”. His remarkable accomplishment also earned him the title “Father of modern surgery”. It would be fascinating to hear from him his initial experiments and to inform him how far we have taken his ideas in the modern world.
