Mentorship the key to a successful surgical career

Ask any top surgeon why they specialised in their particular area and usually it comes from having been influenced by a mentor.

At some point during their training, their interest is piqued by someone working in a particular area which then goes on to form the direction for their entire career.

Alastair Robertson is no exception.  He is a Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon specialising in Complex Trauma and Limb Reconstruction based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.  

He explains: “In my first year of registrar training, I worked with someone who does what I do now, and I was very impressionable at the time. I really enjoyed the thinking process behind it, working out what the problem is and how to fix it. 

“Often, with patients who have bone missing or have non-union, there's a bit of a puzzle behind it to work out why something hasn't worked the first time around. 

“I've always had quite an inquisitive mind. When I was younger, I could be found in the kitchen fiddling with an old toaster trying to work out why it wouldn't work and my parents always said I would go into something like that.”

Mr Robertson grew up in South-East London. He completed his undergraduate studies at Durham University before studying medicine at Newcastle University, graduating in 2012. He completed his core surgical training and higher surgical training in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Orthopaedic Programme and also worked at St George’s Major Trauma Centre, London, under the mentorship of Professor Alex Trompeter. 

In addition, he has completed two periods of international and UK-based specialist fellowship training. He took an international fellowship at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town with Mr Martiz Laubscher and has also spent time at Tygerberg Hospital with Mr Nando Ferreira which provided exposure to high volumes of trauma, fracture-related infection, deformity and non-union management.

A UK fellowship at the world renowned Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, under the mentorship of Mr Peter Calder, Mr David Goodier and Mr Jonathan Wright provided exposure to a breadth of elective limb reconstruction surgery in adults and children including deformity correction, limb lengthening and stature lengthening.

As a result of these fellowships, Mr Robertson is able to draw on techniques applied in both settings to provide a holistic approach to the care of the trauma and limb reconstruction patient.

Mr Robertson now specialises in trauma and limb reconstruction with his expertise encompassing a wide range of procedures including: 

·       Fracture management - upper and lower limb fractures, including periarticular fractures of the lower limb and foot

·       Orthoplastic reconstruction - joint cases with plastic surgery to address combined bone and skin problems

·       Deformity correction - techniques such as acute correction and internal fixation

·       Non-union management - cases where fractures fail to heal properly

·       Limb-length discrepancy - solutions for patients requiring lengthening procedures

·       Bone infection management - both fracture-related and haematogenous infections

·       Segmental bone loss - utilising advanced methods such as the Masquelet technique, motorised transport nails and external fixator- assisted bone transport

Mr Robertson, along with colleague Mr Enis Guryel, leads the limb reconstruction multi-disciplinary team (MDT) at University Hospitals Sussex where he also clinical lead for trauma. He regularly attends the London Limb Reconstruction MDT, ensuring all complex cases are discussed openly to ensure the optimum treatment for each patient.

“I do complex trauma and limb reconstruction, treating both acute and complications of fractures all over the body apart from the head, spine and pelvis,” he says.

“My day-to-day NHS practice is primarily major trauma fracture management and dealing with non-unions, malunions, bone loss and infection.” 

Mr Robertson is widely published in the field of trauma and limb reconstruction and is the current lead for trauma research at University Hospitals, Sussex.

He is also actively involved in the education of new surgeons. Locally, he regularly organises teaching on trauma and limb reconstruction for trainees across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Internationally, he is an invited educator on international courses with topics including the Taylor Spatial Frame (used to treat complex fractures and correct bone deformities in the arms and legs), lengthening nails and bone transport nails. He is an Advanced Trauma Life Support instructor, ensuring the team-based delivery of primary trauma resuscitation.

Mr Robertson also carries out considerable research around bone loss management and bone transport. He said: “We were the first users worldwide of all internal bone transport and I continue to pioneer its use during the early phases.” 

The nature of his work means Mr Robertson forms connections with his patients and it is this he believes has sparked his interest in medicolegal work. 

He says: “The type of patients I treat means I build up a long relationship with them and you find out their story and the background behind their condition. The medicolegal side ties in with that because it's another aspect of the patient's journey.”

Mr Robertson has been a consultant for three years and started his medicolegal practice at the same time, gradually building up his volume of work. 

He is a full TLA member with the firm handling all his case work and was introduced by his old mentor Professor Trompeter who has been with TLA for more than a decade. 

“I did a year of fellowship with Professor Trompeter in my last year of training and he was a real mentor for me both clinically and personally. He recommended I work in medicolegal. He explained how to start and what sort of cases to take on,” explains Mr Robertson.

Currently, Mr Robertson is focusing on personal injury work as he establishes his practice. 

Away from work, he lives in Sussex with his wife and newborn son where he enjoys walking on the South Downs. 

He also has a passion for wildlife photography, particularly in South Africa, although having recently become a father to Otis, that may change. 

“A six-month-old might not be so tolerant of me spending an hour photographing an elephant!” he laughs.

Please email Case Manager Emily Fallick at TLA for Mr Alastair Robertson’s CV and further details EmilyF@tla-medicolegal.com