Meet the team

Andrew has an MBA from the University of Southampton and is an ACMA qualified accountant. He has worked for Practice Plus Group for over 10 years and has held various roles within company including Commercial Manager based at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton for 3 years, Senior Finance Manager and more recently Senior Commercial Manager.

Andrew is an experienced operational leader and is passionate about providing an outstanding service for patients. In 2020 he became the Hospital Director of Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet.

Name: Mr Jac Ciampolini

Job title: Medical Director and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

GMC number: 3698789

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Primary and revision knee replacement, primary hip replacement.

Years of first medical qualifications: 1989

Year of becoming a specialist: 2005

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2005

Languages spoken: English, Italian

Personal interests: Skiing, hiking

Professional profile:

Mr Jac Ciampolini trained at the Medical School in Florence, where he achieved full marks with honours. As a postgraduate, he achieved the fellowship qualifications FRCS (Eng) and FRCS (Tr and Orth) from the Royal College of Surgeons.

Mr Ciampolini is a Fellow of the British Orthopaedic Association, a member of the British Hip Society and the British Society for Surgery of the Knee.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

British Orthopaedic Association

British Hip Society

British Society for Surgery of the Knee

Catherine is responsible for the professional administration and referral management leadership at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet.

Catherine qualified with a BSc (Hons) in Adult Nursing from the University of the West of England in 1997.

Before joining Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet, Catherine was a Ward manager on an elective care ward at Yeovil District Hospital for 10 years.

Since then she has managed the Patient Experience Team, Outpatients, Clinical Governance and now the Operational team and Stores.

Catherine is passionate about process development and delivering high quality, safe and effective patient care, she has been highly involved in the CQC preparation and the development of clinical outcome reporting within the centre.

Name: Dr Galatea-Gabriela Iegariu

Job title: Consultant Anaesthetist

GMC number: 6167532

Specialty: Anaesthetist

Special interests: Orthopaedic surgery

Years of first medical qualifications: 2004

Year of becoming a specialist: 2013

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2020

Languages spoken: English, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Spanish

Personal interests: Mountaineering, swimming, cycling, skiing and horse riding

Professional profile:

Dr Galatea-Gabriela Iegariu graduated from medical school with honours in Romania and completed her speciality training in anaesthesia and intensive care at the University of Budapest in 2013.

Dr Iegariu joined the team at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet in 2020. Passionate about anaesthesia, Dr Iegariu is a member of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Royal College of Anaesthetists

British Medical Association

General Medical Council

Name: Mr Firas Arnaout

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

GMC number: 6042472

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Hip and knee replacement. Knee arthroscopy. Minor hand and foot surgery.

Years of first medical qualifications: 2002

Year of becoming a specialist: 2016

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2020

Languages spoken: English, Arabic

Personal interests: Water sports, tennis and cycling

Professional profile:

Mr Firas Arnaout qualified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in the Speciality of Trauma and Orthopaedics in 2016. Prior to this he achieved Fellowship of the European Board of Orthopaedics & Traumatology in 2015. He was awarded a Masters Degree in Trauma & Orthopaedic Health Sciences from the University of Warwick in 2010.

Mr Arnaout is a member of the British Orthopaedic Association and a faculty member of the Royal College’s Basic Surgical Skills course. He received advanced fellowship training at the prestigious centre of excellence in the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire, previous to that he completed his Orthopaedic training in the Midlands and the South West.

In addition, Mr Arnaout has an interest in orthopaedic professional educational development and is the founder of the FRCS Mentor Club and the Editor of the award-winning ‘Concise Orthopaedic Notes’ book. He has several publications in international peer-reviewed journals and has presented his work at both national and international orthopaedic meetings.

Name: Mr Zahid Saeed

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

GMC number: 5196224

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Hip and knee surgery

Years of first medical qualifications: 1995

Year of becoming a specialist: 2012

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2019

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Family and cricket

Professional profile:

Mr Zahid Saeed is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with a strong focus on the management of hip and knee disorders. He joined the team at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet in October 2019. During his career Mr Saeed has received numerous academic awards and has a keen interest in education, speaking as a faculty member at the national and international meetings. He is devoted to training and research, having trained the specialist registrars from the Trauma and Orthopaedics training programme.

Mr Saeed has contributed numerous book chapters to the Textbooks of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). He takes joy in significantly improving patient’s quality of life following major surgery.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

British Hip Society

British Orthopaedic Association

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

Royal College of Surgeon of England

Royal College of Surgeon of Edinburgh

European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology( EFORT)

Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatology (SICOT)

Medical Defence Union (MDU)

Name: Mr George Tamvakopoulos

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

GMC number: 4536549

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Upper Limb Surgery (Shoulder, Elbow and carpus), Arthroscopic Surgery

Years of first medical qualifications: 1998

Year of becoming a specialist: 2015

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2019

Languages spoken: English, Greek, Italian, French

Personal interests: Tennis, skiing

Professional profile:

Mr George Tamvakopoulos joined Practice Plus Group in July 2019 after completing 2 years as an NHS consultant. His medical qualification is from King’s College School of Medicine in London which followed on after completing two degrees and basic science research in Boston in the United States.

After medical college Mr Tamvakopoulos completed his basic surgical training in London and Norwich and his higher surgical training in North West London and Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. His fellowship training was at The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (Birmingham), arthroplasty fellowship at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (Stanmore) and upper limb fellowship at Royal London Hospital.

Mr Tamvakopouloss subspecialisation interest is in upper limb musculoskeletal conditions including sports injuries in all three joints in the upper limb (shoulder, elbow and wrist).

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

British Elbow and Shoulder Society

British Orthopaedic Association

International Affiliate of Arthroscopic Association of North America

European Federation of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology

European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow

Name: Mr Andrew Chambler

Job title: Specialist Shoulder & Elbow Consultant Surgeon

GMC number: 3678699

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Management of sports injuries, tendinopathies and shoulder arthroplasty

Years of first medical qualifications: 1992

Year of becoming a specialist: 2003

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2018

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Following sport, skiing and spending time with his wife and children

Professional profile:

Mr Andrew Chambler has been a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in the UK for the past 14 years. He qualified from St Mary’s Hospital medical School, part of Imperial College, in London. Embarking on his surgical career, his interest soon became Orthopaedics and in particular shoulder and elbow surgery, being awarded his Masters of Surgery degree in this area by the University of London in 2000, under the supervision of Professor Roger Emery

He gained his Shoulder & Elbow Fellowship with Professor Carr in Oxford and has since been awarded travelling fellowships to UK & Europe as well as to the world renowned Mayo Clinic in the USA, by the British Elbow & Shoulder Society.

He developed the shoulder & elbow service at Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, concentrating on new advanced arthroscopic techniques and joint replacement but also organising quality control with prospective audit of surgical outcome to ensure the highest level of patient care. He became Clinical Director of Orthopaedics at YDH in 2011.

The areas of surgery include the management of sports injuries, tendinopathies and shoulder and elbow arthroplasty. He continues his interest in education and research being faculty for arthroscopic shoulder and elbow courses, peer reviewer for Journals and invited lecturer both national and internationally.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

British Orthopaedic Association (BOA)

British Medical Association (BMA)

Name: Dr Amin Rahat

Job title: Lead Consultant Anaesthetist

GMC number: 7093996

Specialty: Anaesthetist

Special interests: Regional and obstetric anaesthesia

Years of first medical qualifications: 1996

Year of becoming a specialist: 2003

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2018

Languages spoken: English, Hungarian, Arabic, Farsi

Personal interests: Sports, reading

Professional profile:

Dr Amin Rahat graduated from medical school in 1996 at the University of Debrecen, Hungary and completed his speciality training in ‘Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Therapy’ seven years later. He has over twenty three years’ experience working as an anaesthetist and has a special interest in regional and obstetric anaesthesia.

Dr Rahat moved to the UK in 2011, and joined the team at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet in 2018. Passionate about anaesthesia, he is a member of the Hungarian Society for Anaesthesiologists (MAITT) and the Norwegian Board of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK)

Hungarian Society for Anaesthesiologists (MAITT)

Hungarian Society of Transplantation

Hungarian Society of Paramedics and Oxiology (OMSZ)

Swedish Medical Chamber

Swedish Board of Anaesthesiology and ICU

Norwegian Medical Chamber

Norwegian Board of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care

General Medical Council (GMC)

Anaesthetic Association of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI)

Dr Jobson studied Medicine at Cambridge University and then completed clinical training at Oxford University. After House Officer posts he completed his training in Medicine and Gastroenterology in Nottingham and allied hospitals in the Trent Region. During that time he spent 3 years undertaking research which led to a PhD.

He then took up a Consultant Physician post at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton where he currently works with subspecialty interests in Upper GI Cancer, Endoscopy and Hepatology. He has worked in a variety of management positions, including Deputy Medical Director at Musgrove Park Hospital.

Since 2014 Dr Jobson has been undertaking endoscopy in various treatment centres for Practice Plus Group, and was appointed their Clinical Director for Endoscopy in September 2016.

Name: Szabolcs Szigethy

Job title: Consultant ENT Surgeon

GMC number: 6128852

Specialty: ENT

Special interests: Nasal form and function

Years of first medical qualifications: 1994

Year of becoming a specialist: 1998

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2014

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Chess, reading, cooking, walking, travel

Professional profile:

Mr Szabolcs Szigethy qualified from Medical School of Szeged, Hungary and was granted his Certificate of Completion of Training by the Hungarian National Specialist Board in 1998.

Mr Szigethy treats a broad spectrum of ear, nose and throat disorders and conditions, and as a part of this he performs a wide range of procedures, which among others include tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, grommet insertion, and tympanoplasty. He holds an MBA from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Royal Society of Medicine

Specialty: Gynaecology
Special interests: Vaginal and pelvic floor surgery, minimal access surgery

Professional Profile:
Mr Dartey trained at the University of Ghana Medical School where he achieved a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree.

After practicing internal medicine, trauma/emergency and obstetrics, and gynaecology for a few years he relocated to the UK.

As a postgraduate he achieved his membership from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, MRCOG. Mr Dartey also trained in Groningen in the Netherlands and in the USA.

Mr Dartey has worked in various teaching and district hospitals in England and Scotland and has carried out research as well as writing papers for publication.

He is well known in the region having worked at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and RUH in Bath for four years.

Experience:
2011 – present Consultant Gynaecologist, Care UK
2010 – 2011 Locum Specialist Registrar/Consultant Gynaecologist, RUH Bath, UK
2008 – 2010 Senior Specialist Registrar, RUH Bath, UK
2007 – 2008 Senior Specialist Registrar, Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, UK
2006 – 2007 Senior Specialist Registrar, Birmingham Heartlands, Bradford Teaching Hospitals, St Mary’s Teaching Hospital, Manchester, UK
2003 – 2006 Specialist Registrar/Senior Registrar, Bedford Hospital, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, UK

Name: Mr Mujahid El-Deen

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and Lead Clinician

GMC number: 4270920

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Hand, hip and knee surgery

Years of first medical qualifications: 1989

Year of becoming a specialist: 2011

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2014

Languages spoken: English, Arabic

Personal interests: Flying, piloting light aircraft

Professional profile:

Mr Mujahid El-Deen worked in Scotland as an NHS consultant for eight years prior to joining Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet in 2014. He has published his research work in a number of orthopaedic journals including Bone Joint Surg Br 2008 and Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2006.

He performs high volume surgery at our centre mainly primary knee and hip replacements (averaging 4-8 a week) hand procedures (Dupuytren’s contracture excision, treatment of arthritis base of the thumb, carpal tunnel decompression and trigger finger release) and knee arthroscopic work.

Additional Qualifications : 1. FRCS (Glasgow) 2. MSc Orthopaedic Engineering 3. FRCS (Tr & Orth)

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

British Medical Association

The Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Glasgow

Name: Mr Gerard Lattouf

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Foot and Ankle Specialist

GMC number: 6151793

Specialty: Orthopaedics, foot and ankle

Special interests: Sports injuries in foot and ankle, arthroscopies

Years of first medical qualifications: 1998 medical degree, 2003 trauma and orthopaedics

Year of becoming a specialist: 2006

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2010

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Fishing, clay shooting, hiking

Professional profile:

Mr Gerard Lattouf is originally from Lebanon but completed his medical studies and orthopaedic training in Lithuania. During his training Mr Lattouf had clinical attachments in France and Lebanon. From August 2003 Mr Lattouf worked in Lithuania as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon before moving to the UK in June 2007 to work as a Locum Orthopaedic SPr.

In January 2009 he started a one-year foot and ankle fellowship at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport. During his fellowship he attended foot and ankle courses and training in Switzerland. Mr Lattouf has also been a member of BOFAS (British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) since September 2010.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (BOFAS)

Name: Mr Chris Parker

Job title: Consultant Urologist

GMC number: 6121451

Specialty: Urology

Special interests: Penile and scrotal surgery

Years of first medical qualifications: 1979

Year of becoming a specialist: 1993

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2016

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Gardening, cooking, DIY, walking and skiing

Professional profile:

Mr Chris Parker qualified at Guy’s Hospital Medical School, undertook his surgical and urological training in London and the south east and completed his specialist urological training at the Institute of Urology, London. He was Consultant Urologist at Yeovil District Hospital from 1993 to 2016, where he took on many additional roles including a period as Medical Director.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

British Medical Association (BMA)

British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS)

Royal Society of Medicine (Urology Section)

Name: Mr Adam Rozycki

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

GMC number: 6128790

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Joint replacement surgery

Years of first medical qualifications: 1992

Year of becoming a specialist: 2002

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2005

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Skiing, reading, cooking

Professional profile:

Mr Adam Rozycki graduated from the Silesian Academy of Medicine, Poland and completed his speciality training in orthopaedic and trauma surgery in 2002. He has a special interest in trauma surgery and minor orthopaedic procedures.

Mr Rozycki joined the team at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet in 2005 and four years later was promoted to the position of consultant orthopaedic surgeon.  Passionate about orthopaedics, Mr Rozycki is a member of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA). His special interests include primary total hip and knee replacements as well as unicompartmental knee replacements. Up to date he has preformed almost 4000 of these procedures.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

British Orthopaedic Association (BOA)

Name: Gabor Vereczkey

Job title: Consultant Anaesthetist

GMC number: 5092037

Specialty: Anaesthetist, cardiologist

Special interests: Non-Invasive cardiovascular monitoring, impedance cardiography, blood gas analysis

Years of first medical qualifications: 1984

Year of becoming a specialist: 1989

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2005

Languages spoken: English, Swedish, Hungarian

Personal interests: Physics, biology, engineering, history and classical music

Professional profile:

Dr Gabor Vereczkey completed his undergraduate medical training at the Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest, Hungary in 1984. He worked at the Postgraduate Medical Institute (OTKI) in Budapest and in 1989 he obtained his specialist registration in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. In 1992 he acquired the Diploma of the European Academy of Anaesthesiology and in 1996 he obtained a specialist registration in Cardiology. Gabor was Medical Director of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in Hungary between 1993-1995, was Head of ICU in Cardiovascular Surgery, in Postgraduate Medical University (OTE) in Budapest, between 1995-2002 then worked in Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Molndal-Gothenburg, between 2002 and 2005.

In his 30 years of experience as a specialist anaesthetist he has worked in almost all fields of anaesthesia and intensive therapy performing more than 10000 EDA-Spinal procedures in obstetrics and orthopaedics. He has two inventions, a 3 Dimensional-ECG and an ICG-Pulse Plethysmograph to assess Endothelial Function and measure beat-to-beat non-invasive Blood Pressure without the need of a BP cuff.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

European Academy of Anaesthesiology

Hungarian Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy

Hungarian Society of Cardiologists

Hungarian Hypertension Society

Marquis Who’s Who in Healthcare and Medicine, 1997-2017.

Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Technology, 1998-2017.

Name: Claudia Ros

Job title: Consultant Anaesthetist

GMC number: 7098103

Specialty: Anaesthetist

Special interests: ICU

Years of first medical qualifications: 1997

Year of becoming a specialist: 2004

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2015

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Charity

Professional profile:

Dr Claudia Ros graduated University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj Napoca in 1997. She underwent her training programme in anaesthetics and intensive care medicine and became consultant in anaesthetics and intensive care in 2004.

Dr Ros moved to the UK in 2011, and was appointed a consultant anaesthetist at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet in 2015. Passionate about anaesthesia, she is a member of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Royal College of Anaesthetists

Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

European Society of Intensive Care Medicine

European Society of Anaesthetist

Name: Dr Zsolt Balogh

Job title: Consultant Radiologist

GMC number: 5107085

Specialty: Radiology

Special interests: Musculoskeletal and General Radiology

Years of first medical qualifications: 1989

Year of becoming a specialist: 1993

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2010

Languages spoken: English, Hungarian

Personal interests: Music, fine arts, folk arts, poetry, theatre

Professional profile:

Dr Zsolt Balogh graduated from the Medical University of Debrecen, Hungary in 1989. He qualified in Radiology in 1993, and Radiation Oncology in 2001. He has worked in the Radiology and Oncoradiology Departments of the Aladar Petz County Teaching Hospital in Gyor, Hungary from 1989 to 2010. He was granted an honorary observer post at the Radiology Department of the Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge in 1997. He has attended numerous national and international postgraduate courses and congresses, including the annual ECR in Vienna, MRI course in Cheltenham, Interventional Radiology Congress in Glasgow, RSM Symposiums in London, MRI, US and Radiology Courses in Oxford.

Dr Balogh has engaged in numerous research activities, typically as a radiologist and clinical co-investigator, mainly for tumour assessment by CT and MRI in various clinical trials for radiotherapy, chemotherapy and molecular target therapies. He has a special interest in Musculoskeletal and General Radiology, including MSK US , MSK MRI, MR-Arthrograms and US-guided MSK interventions. He is a member of the Metal on Metal Multidisciplinary Team in SMTC. He has been also involved in training, supervising and supporting Sonographers in the CareUK.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

General Medical Council

Hungarian Medical Chamber

Society of Hungarian Radiologists

European Society of Radiology