Council Members

NACCS Council

The NACCS Council consists of three executive officers, six members and the immediate past president. The Council meets three times a year in central London.

President: Dr Roger Lightfoot 

Shackleton Department of Anaesthetics, University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

I have been a Consultant in Neurocritical Care and Anaesthesia since 2004. I was appointed to Council in 2012. My areas of interest are prodominantly around neurocritical care where I am the Clinical Lead for the Wessex Neurological Centre Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit. I am currently clinical lead for Organ Donation within the Trust. For the Council I have since 2017 until May 2019 the  Treasurer for NACCS. I represent NACCS at the Small and Specialist Societies Advisory Group at the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine.

Immediate Past-President: Dr Judith Dinsmore

Consultant in Neuroanaesthesia, St George’s Hospital NHS Trust, London

I have been a Consultant Anaesthetist at St George’s University Hospital Trust, London since 1989. My specialist interests include anaesthesia for neurosurgery and neuroradiology. I have published original articles, chapters and books on various topics in neuroanaesthesia but have a particular interest in awake craniotomy and was involved in recent guidance for management of anaesthesia during intra-arterial thrombectomy. I am currently an Examiner for both the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Intercollegiate Speciality Board for Neurosurgery. I was appointed to council in 2012 and was previously Honorary Secretary. I represent NACCS on the SALG group and have organised several CPD Days at the AAGBI and the RCOA.

Honorary Secretary: Dr Elfyn Thomas

Department of  Intensive Care Medicine, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth

[email protected]

I am primarily an intensive care consultant, was clinical lead at Plymouth Neuro ICU for 13 years and I also have sessions in neuroanaesthesia. I was the NACCS linkman for 3 years before being elected to council in 2011 and ran the society’s survey facility for 6 years. I am the NACCS representative to FICMTAQ and sit on the working parties looking at transfer of brain injured patients and patients with perceived devastating brain injury. I was the lead author of the NACCS joint position statement with the SBNS on transducer placement in TBI management. I have chaired a postgraduate course on subarachnoid haemorrhage for the ESICM, edited a book on head injury management and have been the Peninsula MTC clinical lead and a course director for both the ETC and ATLS courses.

Outside of work I enjoy sailing.

Honorary Treasurer: Dr Craig Carroll

Consultant Anaesthetist, Salford Royal Hospital.

Having qualified in 1993 after medical school on Manchester, I spend time in Queensland, Australia doing Emergency Medicine before returning the northwest for anaesthesia training. Following the completion of Specialist Training I sent time working at the Walton Centre, Liverpool before taking up a substantive in 2002 at Salford Royal.

I have an interest in pre-operative medicine and complex spinal surgery, in addition to neuroanaesthesia and Level 2 Neuro-critical Care. I am a member of the UK Cell Salvage Action Group and am the  Chair of the North West Regional Transfusion Committee.

I joined the NACCS as a co-opted member in 2014, whilst chairing the 50th ASM Local Organising Committee for the Manchester Conference, and subsequently was elected to Council the following year.

Dr Gemma Nickols

Consultant in Anaesthesia, North Bristol NHS Trust

I have been a consultant at Southmead hospital in Bristol since 2015. My sub-specialty interests include neuroanaesthesia (predominantly emergency surgery) and vascular anaesthesia.  I trained in the Severn deanery and completed advanced neuroanaesthesia training at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London.  I have been the NACCS linkperson for Bristol since 2015 and wrote the local anaesthetic guideline for the use of intra-operative MRI at Southmead.

I am the audit lead for my department and an active member of the Society of Anaesthetists of the Southwestern Region (SASWR), having been a trainee committee member.

I led the organisation of the NACCS ASM in Bristol, in May 2018.

Dr Thearina de Beer MBChB FRCA DICM FFICM LLM

Consultant in Anaesthetics, ICM and Neuro-ICM, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham.

I have an interest in Health Law and have completed a Masters in Health Law and Ethics. I was the faculty tutor in ICM for 3 years and was the governance lead for AICU as well as Major Trauma. I was a member of the CRG for Spinal Cord Injury until 2016. My special interests are delirium and the impact on long stay patients, neuro trauma as well as spinal cord injury. I have been involved in delirium management at NUH and KMH, as well as starting the multi-disciplinary long term ward round at NUH. I am the specialty lead for Critical Care and CCOT at NUH.