Guernsey’s Medical Specialist Group has strengthened its service for patients this month with the arrival of a physician who is also a kidney specialist and a paediatrician with significant experience of caring for children in an island healthcare system.
Consultant physician and nephrologist Dr Patrick Harnett has extensive experience in both general and renal medicine, caring for patients with complex problems and multiple interacting conditions. Patients with primary and secondary hypertension, diabetic kidney disease, vascular disease and chronic kidney disease have been a particular focus.
He says, “I was looking for a role with a balance of renal and general medicine and this one fitted the bill. A former colleague who worked here also suggested I would like it. I hope that my family will enjoy the island and all it has to offer.”
He joins from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital where he led the acute medicine department during the pandemic, seeing some of the first patients in the country with Covid. He comments, ‘It was a privilege to work alongside senior and junior doctors on the front line during this challenging time.’
Chair of the medical directorate Dr Steve Evans says, “We’re really pleased to have recruited such a high calibre renal physician to such a busy service. It’s important to have a good team in place to manage acute care and complement the range of subspecialities needed for our ageing population. Dr Harnett will help maintain a very strong directorate.”
Consultant paediatrician Sarra Ahmed (shown in the main picture) joins from Gibraltar where she has spent the last three years. She says, “I very much enjoyed the challenge of providing a bespoke service to a unique population with limited resources and had to learn to think creatively to coordinate the care of children, bridging the two healthcare systems of the UK and Spain. I am always motivated by the desire to deliver the highest standards of care for my patients.”
Before Gibraltar, she spent a year in Hillingdon Hospital developing an integrated child health service. She has extensive experience in general paediatrics and subspecialty experience in gastroenterology, diabetes and endocrinology.
Dr Clare Betteridge, directorate chair of women and child health, says, “We are delighted to have recruited Sarra to join our team. She has spent some years working in Gibraltar so is aware of the challenges and delights of working on a small island. Sarra also has specialist skills to complement the rest of the team. We look forward to working with her.”
