Meet the team

Mark Gilmour became the hospital director for both Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford and Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, Gillingham in December 2019.

Ben has been working for Practice Plus Group since 2013, coming from a background in IT & analytics before progressing onto change management.

Ben most recently worked within Practice Plus Group to review the patient pathway within its treatment centres, looking for process and efficiency improvements in a highly complex environment, in conjunction with the clinical teams.

In his current role as Deputy Hospital Director, Ben is responsible for the day-to-day running of all clinical and non-clinical aspects of the treatment centre, including financial performance, capacity planning and stakeholder management.

Mr Ahad graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine before continuing his basic surgical and orthopaedic specialist training through North East London rotation. This included one year in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and three years at the Royal London Hospital. He was appointed at Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals in 2010 as a Trauma Consultant where he helped improve the trauma service in one of the busiest trusts in the country. His interest in sports injury, complex fractures and hip pathology has led to several publications, and international presentations.

He joined Practice Plus Group in 2014, managing general orthopaedic conditions as well as sub-specialty in joint replacement and arthroscopic surgery. He is a meticulous, patient focused surgeon with a proven track record for delivering an excellent quality of service. He remains dedicated to teaching, audit and ongoing research. He has led and participated in numerous courses to train our next generation of surgeons. He is now the Clinical Director of Orthopaedic Surgery for Practice Plus Group, the challenge is to maintain high standards in all our sites.

He is a member of the British Orthopaedic Association and faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. He holds a health care advisory role to an NGO that has a care programme, including disaster relief, to over 70 countries.

Outside work he has been involved with the arts as a performer and later instructor/coordinator with events in the Royal Albert Hall, O2, Excel and Bloomsbury Theatre. He remains a keen sportsman enjoying Sunday League football and badminton. He relishes challenges linked with good causes and recently completed the London Marathon, Spanish Bull Run and Skydiving and continues to look for other adventures to raise awareness and money for charities.

Linda qualified in 1987 and completed her Masters in 2009. She has a vast amount of experience within the NHS and was previously a Matron at a neighbouring NHS Trust.

Linda joined Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford in 2015 as our Quality and Governance Manager. She feels that her past experience and passion for quality patient care can make a difference. Linda looks at all aspects of the patients’ stay and is keen to hear from relatives or patients with any comments or suggestions that may improve patient experience.

In January 2017, Linda was appointed Acting Head of Nursing and Professions.

Name: Mehtan Ahmed

Job title: Endoscopy Clinical Lead and Consultant Gastroenterologist

GMC number: 7088259

Specialty: Gastroenterology

Special interests: Endoscopy

Years of first medical qualifications: 2010

Year of becoming a specialist: 2019

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2020

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Origami

Professional profile:

Mehtan Ahmed graduated from Imperial College London in 2010 with distinctions in Medicine & Surgery, and a first-class honours BSc degree in Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He completed his training in the North Central and North West London deaneries, where he fostered an early interest in endoscopy at the prestigious Wolfson Unit for Endoscopy in St. Marks Hospital.

Dr. Ahmed joined Practice Plus Group in 2020 as the lead endoscopist for the Ilford and Gillingham sites, with the intention of upholding the outstanding standards of care at these centres. His specialty interests include complex polypectomy and water-aided colonoscopy.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies: Royal College of Physicians, British Society of Gastroenterology.

Name: Mr Housein Hayali

Job title: Consultant Ophthalmologist

GMC number: 4758943

Specialty: Ophthalmology

Special interests: Cataract and anterior segment, medical retina and oculoplasty

Years of first medical qualifications: 1989

Year of becoming a specialist: 1999

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2007

Languages spoken: English, Arabic, Dutch

Personal interests: Travelling, swimming and football

Professional profile:

Mr Housein Hayali graduated from medical school in 1989 at the University of Baghdad, Iraq and in 1999 at the Medical University Utrecht, Netherlands. He completed his speciality training in ophthalmology in 2007 and has a special interest in medical retina, cataracts and oculoplasty.

Mr Hayali joined Practice Plus Group as a Consultant Ophthalmologist in 2019, working for both Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford and Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, Gillingham. Passionate about ophthalmology, Mr Hayali is a member of the North of England Ophthalmological Society and frequently travellers to Ghana to help treat patients with glaucoma and cataracts.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Dutch Ophthalmologists

North of England Ophthalmological Society

Iraqi Doctors

Name: Mr Anil Prasanna

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

GMC number: 7229776

Specialty: Trauma and orthopaedics

Special interests: Foot and ankle surgery, sports injuries in foot and ankle and general orthopaedics

Years of first medical qualifications: 2005

Year of becoming a specialist: 2010

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2020

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Cricket, travelling, hiking and photography

Professional profile:

Mr Anil Prasanna graduated from medical school in 2005 at Medical University Sofia, Bulgaria and completed his speciality training in trauma and orthopaedics five years later. He undertook advanced fellowship training in foot and ankle surgery at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, BOFAS accredited Windsor Foot and Ankle Fellowship at Wexham Park Hospital and Post CCT Foot and Ankle Fellowship at Lister Hospital, East and North Hertfordshire NHS trust.

Mr Prasanna has been working in the UK since 2012, and joined the team at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford in 2020. His specialisms include the surgical and conservative management of all complex foot and ankle conditions, Achilles tendon rupture and disorders, heel pain, arthroscopic surgery (key hole surgery) for cartilage defects in foot and ankle, toenail surgery and all aspects of sports injuries in the foot and ankle.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

General Medical Council

Name: Ms Erika Birgiolaite

Job title: Consultant General Surgeon

GMC number: 7728930

Specialty: General surgery

Special interests: Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, gallbladder diseases, anorectal diseases.

Years of first medical qualifications: 2014

Year of becoming a specialist: 2019

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2020

Languages spoken: English, Lithuanian, Russian

Personal interests: History, hiking

Professional profile:

Ms Erika Birgiolaite qualified at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in 2014. She undertook surgical training in LUHS hospital Kauno Klinikos which she completed in 2019. Major focus of her training was inflammatory bowel disease and laparoscopic colorectal and abdominal surgery. In addition she attended surgical training course in Davos Switzerland and EAES laparoscopic surgery safety course.

After her training Ms Birgiolaite worked as a consultant general surgeon in a regional hospital, where she focused on urgent and trauma surgery, laparoscopic and open hernia repair and anorectal diseases.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

European Hernia Society

European Society of Coloproctology

Name: Ms Fatemeh Zavareh

Job title: Consultant Anaesthetist

GMC number: 6123686

Specialty: Anaesthetist

Special interests: Regional anaesthetics

Years of first medical qualifications: 1993

Year of becoming a specialist: 2006

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2016

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Reading, walking, swimming

Professional profile:

Ms Fatemeh Hani has been worked as an anaesthetist for over 25 years. Fatemeh performs all types of anaesthetics for all required surgical fields such as general surgery, eye surgery, orthopaedics, endoscopy, shoulder surgery, ENT, gynaecology and urology.

Ms Hani completed her medical education at the faculty of medicine at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She also completed her anaesthetic speciality and became a consultant anaesthetist from the same university.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Royal College of Anaesthetists

Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

British Medical Association

Medical Protection Society

Mr Rahij Anwar (FRCS, Diploma, MSc, MRCS and MS) joined Practice Plus Group as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in September 2018, working for both Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford and Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, Gillingham. Mr Anwar has worked in healthcare for over 25 years with 5 years as an NHS consultant in the UK. Mr Anwar is also the Clinical Lead for Orthopaedics at both Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford and Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, Gillingham.

Mr Rahij Anwar is a lower limb surgeon. Mr Anwar has a special interest in hip and knee replacements and knee sports surgery, including ACL and patellofemoral issues. He also performs general orthopaedic procedures including operations on bunion, toes etc.

Before joining Practice Plus Group, Mr Anwar worked as a locum consultant for over two years in many NHS hospitals before joining as a substantive consultant orthopaedic surgeon in Pilgrim Hospital, Boston (Lincolnshire), completing in the South East Thames (St Thomas & King’s College) rotation in 2012.

Besides publishing research articles in the peer-reviewed journals, Mr Anwar has also authored three textbooks whilst being a regular columnist for the BMA New smagazine for the past 10 years. Mr Anwar is also a member of three major professional organisations, the British Orthopaedic Association, the British Medical Association and the Medical Protection Society.

Mr Anwar is extremely passionate about patient care, professional and personal development and learning from reflection, whilst in his spare time he loves travelling and spending time with his wife and children.

Name: Mr Khalil Razvi

Job title: Consultant Gynaecologist

GMC number: 5199518

Specialty: Gynaecologist

Special interests: Pelvic surgery, colposcopy, minimal access surgery, gynaecological cancer

Years of first medical qualifications: 1988

Year of becoming a specialist: 2005

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2018

Languages spoken: English, Tamil

Personal interests: Badminton

Professional profile:

Mr Khalil Razvi graduated at the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland in 1988, he then went on to achieve a Master of Medicine at the National University of Singapore in 1995. He offers talks to GPs on common gynaecological conditions in primary care, cancer screening and on gynaecological cancers.

Mr Razvi joined the team at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford in 2018. He has published over 30 papers as well as over 60 conference publications.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Royal Society of Medicine

British Medical Association

European Society for Gynaecological Oncology

International Gynaecological Cancer Society

British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology

Academy of Medicine

Dominika Palcovicova has been a Consultant Anaesthetist working across both the Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, Gillingham and Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford since November 2015.

With twenty years’ healthcare experience, Dominika is a Doctor of General medicine as well holding a diploma in anaesthetics and Intensive care medicine from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2014, Dominika received a specialist diploma in Anaesthetics and Intensive care medicine from the Slovak medical University. Dominika is also a member of 3 professional bodies, namely RCA, AAGBI and the Slovak Medical Chamber.

Dominika’s core responsibilities are to oversee the provision of anaesthetic services at both treatment centres, whilst also looking after the pain management of patients in the post anaesthetic recovery unit. Dominika is also the anaesthetic clinical governance lead for Will Adams.

Dominika is extremely passionate about patient safety, improving the patient’s pathway, experience and analgesia.

Outside of work, Dominika enjoys a wide range of leisure activities. From outdoor hobbies like Mountain Hiking, cycling, skiing and swimming to taking time in cultural activities, enjoying classical music, art and opera. However, spending quality time with her family is the most important to her.

Name: Mr Ian Crate

Job title: General surgeon

GMC number: 2468925

Specialty: General surgery

Special interests: Groin hernias, gallbladders and ano-rectal disease

Years of first medical qualifications: 1979

Year of becoming a specialist: 1994

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2009

Languages spoken: English, Hungarian

Personal interests: Walking, gardening, cooking

Professional profile:

Mr Ian Crate qualified at Guys Hospital Medical School in 1979, beginning as a Regimental Medical Officer with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Following this he undertook his surgical training which he completed in 1994, and worked as a surgeon within the Army, touring the Gulf, Central America and Bosnia.

Before joining Practice Plus Group in April 2009, Mr Crate worked as a Consultant General Surgeon at Bassetlaw Hospital near Sheffield where he focussed on colorectal cancer surgery, and laparoscopic (keyhole surgery) and complex hernia surgery.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Ian Crate has also been awarded several prestigious accolades including the Parke’s Memorial prize for Medicine, the Gulf Medal and Clasp, the Liberation of Kuwait Medal and the UNPROFOR Medal.

Mr Hamid is a full time Consultant in General Surgery at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford with particular interests in laparoscopic gallbladder and hernia surgery, and surgery for haemorrhoids. Previously, he was a Consultant in General Surgery at hospitals in Hungary.

Mr Onyema is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford. His areas of interest include: cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment (with a focus on primary care development and electronic integration with secondary care) and occulo-plastic surgery.

Ophthalmology Training

South East Region including Clinical Glaucoma Service Fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital London.

Other Activities

Medical Liaison Officer, Royal Medical Benevolence Fund
Trustee, Harlow Citizens Advice Bureau
UK representative, GEANCO Foundation

Previous consultant level posts

Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and Braintree Community Hospital

Professional associations

Member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, London
Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
Member of the British Medical Association
Member of the Medical Defence Union

Name: Mr Janos Fabula

Job title: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

GMC number: 6107405

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Special interests: Lower limb reconstruction surgery

Years of first medical qualifications: 1991

Year of becoming a specialist: 1997

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2005

Languages spoken: English, Hungarian, French

Personal interests: Travel, cycling, tennis

Professional profile:

Mr Janos Fabula completed his medical training at the University of Szeged, Hungary in year 1991. He worked initially in Department of Orthopaedics,University of Szeged, Hungary. His main interest is lower limb surgery, including hip, knee replacement, partial knee replacement, forefoot corrections and minor orthopaedic procedures.

Mr Fabula joined the team at Peninsula Treatment Centre in 2005, before joining Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford five years later. He has written a variety of publications and printed abstracts, attended numerous seminars, society meetings and workshops both in the UK and Europe.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

General Medical Council

British Orthopaedic Association

Hungarian Orthopaedic Association

Mr Pataki is a Consultant in Orthopaedics with a particular interest in knee and complex forefoot surgery, whilst undertaking a large number of total hip replacements, knee arthroscopies, carpal tunnel decompressions and minor hand operations. He is full time at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford and is one of the consultant staff responsible for the Unit’s exceptionally high standards and short wait times.

Mr Venkat is a Consultant in Orthopaedics undertaking a broad range of orthopaedic major and minor procedures, inclusive of arthroscopies and joint injections. His main interests are hip and knee replacements and he was trained at London, Cambridge, Birmingham and Edinburgh before becoming a Consultant. He is well known to the local community, with his wife a local GP.

Name: Mr Medhat Hashem

Job title: Anaesthetic Lead and Consultant Anaesthetist

GMC number: 7025231

Specialty: Anaesthetist

Special interests: Ultrasound and echocardiography

Years of first medical qualifications: 1988

Year of becoming a specialist: 2007

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2010

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Cycling, SCUBA diving

Professional profile:

Dr Medhat Hashem graduated from Cairo University, Egypt in 1992. He has double fellowships from both the Royal College of Anaesthetists (London, 2002) and the College of Anaesthesiologists (Dublin, 2002) and an accreditation diploma in Trans-Oesophageal Echocardiography (France, 2010).

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

Royal College of Anaesthetists

Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management

Dr. Zaneta has worked as an anaesthetist for over 10 years and joined the Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford team in November 2015. She was educated at Vilnius University (Faculty of Medicine) in Lithuania and went on to have speciality training which she completed in 2009 giving GMC Specialist registration in November 2009. Dr. Zaneta has also been part of the Royal College of Anaesthetists since 2012, the Difficult Airway Society, the AAGBI and the MDU.

As a consultant anaesthetist, Dr. Zaneta peforms anaesthetics for all required surgical fields such as general, eye surgery, orthopaedics, dental, endoscopy, as well as providing pre-assessment clinic services. She is also a member of the antibiotic stewardship committee.

Dr. Zaneta is interested in pre-assessment and optimisations of high risk non-cardiac surgical patients as well as patient safety and human factors in perioperative care. Dr. Zaneta’s other area of interest is the difficult airway.

Previously Dr.  Zaneta has had roles within obstetrics & gynaecology, urology, ENT, neuro-anaesthesia, trauma, emergency, other specialities of anaesthesia and ITU.

Outside of work, Dr. Zaneta loves travelling and exploring new cultures.

Name: Mr Goran Jejina

Job title: Consultant Anaesthetist

GMC number: 5205056

Specialty: Anaesthetist

Special interests: Regional anaesthesia

Years of first medical qualifications: 1981

Year of becoming a specialist: 2008

Year of joining Practice Plus Group: 2008

Languages spoken: English

Personal interests: Basketball

Professional profile:

Mr Goran Jejina first qualified in 1981 at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. Alongside his career in anaesthetics, he has completed a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Clinical Pharmacology, and a PhD in Anaesthesia with combination of opioids.

Membership of professional, national or regional bodies:

The Royal College of Anaesthetists

Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

European Society of Anaesthesiology

European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy

Jeevani Jayawardene has been a Consultant Anaesthetist at the Practice Plus Group Hospital, Ilford since January 2007, and is our current Obesity Lead. With twenty five years of healthcare experience, Jeevani holds MBBS, MD and FRCA qualifications, as well as being a member of three professional bodies, namely, MDU, RCOA and AAGBI. Jeevani received a gold medal during her MD in her native Sri Lanka and when she’s not at work she’s an active member of a charity organisation which sets up scholarship funds for students in Sri Lanka.