Overview
Paediatric Surgery is that branch of medicine that deals with the diseases, trauma and malformations of childhood years (foetal period to teenage years).
- Consultant surgeons working in this area of clinical practice will have undergone a specific training programme to furnish the knowledge, skills and professional attitudes necessary for dealing with children and their families.
- At present the majority of specialised children's surgery is performed in designated children's hospitals, or in paediatric surgical units within larger hospitals. In these settings, teams of health professionals led by consultant paediatric surgeons provide the necessary services to diagnose, treat and support the rehabilitation of children with various ailments.
- The routine workload has a very general focus with most consultants developing experience and skills across the breadth of surgery. To facilitate this, the training is broadly based and comprehensive.
- As a consequence of the breadth and variation in complexity of conditions seen and dealt with in the specialty, there are wide variations in the nature of Paediatric Surgical practice across the UK. This is impacted on by how much of the General Surgery of Childhood (simple minor surgery) is performed in District General Hospitals by suitably trained adult General Surgeons and Urologists, by the establishment of a small number of supra regional specialist units for e.g. bladder exstrophy surgery and surgery for biliary atresia and in the involvement in certain areas of work by other surgical specialties e.g. thoracic surgery by Cardiothoracic Surgeons. As a consequence of this, trainees by the start of the final stage of the syllabus, will have to have a clear idea of which areas of work they would wish to undertake as Consultants, and focus more closely on gaining experience in these areas of work.
- Most consultants will also have a commitment to an emergency workload though the nature of delivery of that will vary between different units.
- There is an increasing trend for consultants to develop further specific expertise in areas of special interest which include:
- Neonatal Surgery
- Urological Surgery
- Hepatobiliary Surgery
- Gastrointestinal Surgery
- Oncological Surgery.
Eleri Cusick
Graham Lamont
Graham Haddock
Editors