CURRICULUM VITAE

STEVEN GRIFFIN

DATE OF BIRTH 17.03.58

AGE 57

NATIONALITY British

FAMILY Married, one adult son

ADDRESS The Heart Centre

The American Hospital

Dubai

PO Box 5566

UAE

e-mail acrn22@r.postjobfree.com

telephone 009***********

EDUCATION

GENERAL

Sexey’s Grammar School

Bruton

Somerset

1969-1976

MEDICAL SCHOOL

Middlesex Hospital

London University

1976-1981

QUALIFICATIONS

MB.,BS.

University of London, 1981

FRCS

Royal College of Surgeons

Edinburgh, 1985

FRCS (C/Th)

Intercollegiate Board, 1993

MS

University of London, 1995

CURRENT POST

Assistant Medical Director

Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon

Head of Medical Imaging

The American Hospital Dubai. January 2014-

REGISTRATION STATUS

Registered with the GMC since 1981.

CSST Accredited 1995. I am on the UK Specialist Register as a cardiothoracic surgeon

I am registered as a specialist in cardiac and thoracic surgery by the Dubai Health Authority.

CLINICAL BACKGROUND

I started my career in the NHS as an auxiliary nurse on a geriatric ward. I have since trained in general surgery then cardiothoracic surgery in London and Newcastle. I have spent time as a general practitioner and in full time clinical research. For the last twenty years I have been in consultant practice as a cardiothoracic surgeon in Hull and UAE. I have performed over seven thousand major procedures. I was instrumental in bringing novel techniques such as off pump bypass surgery, minimal access valve surgery and heart rhythm surgery to Hull. I have a strong record as a surgical mentor and many of my ex trainees are successful consultants in the UK and overseas.

ACADEMIC AND TEACHING BACKGROUND

I spent two and a half years in full time research whilst obtaining my Masters Degree. During my consultant tenure I always had a research fellow working with me and I am proud to have supervised them to either an MD, MS or PhD. I have strong links with the University of Hull Biological Sciences and I was a HYMS tutor for several years. I have run the advanced courses in cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in England. I have experience in dealing with major grant-giving bodies.

Since being in Dubai I have initiated and contributed to the post graduate teaching programme. I am happy to provide a bibliography of my published work if requested.

My academic background has made me comfortable with interpreting, presenting and analyzing complex data.

MEDIA/WRITING

I am literate. I have written extensively in professional journals and textbooks. I currently write for a on-line magazines, mainly on topics that nothing to do with medicine. I am, so far, an unpublished novelist but I live I n hope. I enjoy the discipline that comes with writing copy to time and length. .I have received training and experience in communication with television and print media. I represented my employers on programmes as diverse as the BBC and Dubai One. I am comfortable in front of the camera or ‘on the couch’ if required. I have learned that openness is valued but circumspection has its place.

MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

The American Hospital Dubai is a facsimile of a mainland United States hospital. The protocols, procedures and processes are specifically designed to align themselves with best American practice. All doctors who work here have to satisfy the same requirements as an American hospital. A doctor, patient or nurse could come from an institution such as The Cleveland Clinic or Mayo Clinic and find the clinical environment very similar. As such The American Hospital Dubai is considered by many to be the premier hospital in the Middle East.

As Assistant Medical Director I am part of the Senior Management Team. My duties and experience as such are outlined below:-

Performance Improvement (PI)

The Director of PI reports to me, together with clerical support we deal with all aspects of governance relating to hospital procedures and policies. We meet daily to assess immediate issues and have formal monthly meetings to discuss more strategic matters. During the last six months we have rewritten or updated all the hospital procedures and protocols. This has been a massive undertaking and has given me considerable insight into the problems and issues that confront Performance Improvement.

Clinical Audit

I am chairman of the Mortality and Morbidity committee. I review personally the records of every death in the hospital. These deaths are then discussed in detail at the regular meetings which I have opened up to be truly multidisciplinary. We also monitor performance indicators for morbidity. I have concentrated on closing the loop in these matters and ensuring that lessons are learned and outcomes can be demonstrated to have improved. We have developed new models of care and redesigned services across the organization. I hope that I have brought rigor to these proceedings and I can point to areas where there has been improvement in practice and outcomes.

Accreditation and Regulatory Bodies

The American College of Surgeons originated a commission for accreditation of hospitals. The Joint. Commission was formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). This accreditation is essential in the USA for validation and benchmarking hospitals. It is similar but more rigorous that the UK Care Quality Commission (CQC). The Joint Commission has an International accreditation system, JCI. The American Hospital Dubai was the first hospital outside the Americas to be awarded this accreditation and during 2015 went through its third revalidation inspection. I played a major role in steering the hospital through this extremely tough process.

Dubai, unlike many cities in the Middle East, has a major health tourism market and as such is tightly regulated by the Dubai Health Authority and The UAE Ministry of Health. These organizations are run on American and Northern European line are powerful, have high standards and are very demanding.

Computerized medical records

The American Hospital is on the difficult journey from paper to digital medical records and ordering. This journey is now almost complete. Over 98% of all inpatient and outpatient medical records and charts are now digital. There are no medical secretaries and no paper request forms. All the activities of the medical and nursing staff are digital and standardized to a benchmark American system. This process has been taken up with some reluctance by some of the older members of medical staff. It has been one of my tasks to promote this new way of working and to demonstrate the advantages in patient care, communication, drug error reduction and risk management from a medico legal perspective. I think I now have considerable insight into most aspects of this challenge and I have been pleased to see it succeed in our hospital.

Medical Discipline

From time to time it is necessary to manage poor performance or behavior amongst our colleagues. The medical regulatory bodies in Dubai have draconian powers that can have immediate and devastating impact on physicians. Deportation, disbarring and professional ruin are a constant threat. As such we have developed a fast, fair and respected method of dealing with medical discipline. This has been effective in not only ensuring improvement in outcomes but safeguarding livelihoods and reputations. I have learned that many if not most of these issues can be dealt with in-house with speedier and acceptable resolution.

I have learned how to deal with the cultural, racial and religious difficulties that are encountered in these delicate matters. I hope I have developed a style that mixes respect and accountability with some common humanity.

Remedial Leadership

The Department of Medical Imaging at The American Hospital is the single biggest department. It was troubled by poor performance that manifested itself as a reporting backlog, reporting quality issues, poor behavior towards technical staff and problems with retention of staff. I was chosen by the senior management to implement a new clinical strategy putting new policies and procedures in place. I steered the department through a tough quality inspection and implemented some radical changes in working practices. In six months there has been a demonstrable improvement in all aspects of overall performance. I hope that my leadership of the department will now be handed over to a new chief of the department.

Business/Financial

Medicine is not a business but it is my view that it should be conducted in a business-like manner. I have extensive experience with financial planning in the NHS. I have further direct experience in managing large fixed budgets in the private sector in UK and within an entirely for profit-organization in the Middle East. I have extensive experience of dealing with demanding health care purchasers who expect high quality within a contained cost.

Complaints

During a 35 year working life I have had to deal with both patient and staff complaints of all natures. As Assistant Medical Director I have responsibility for all complaints against the organization. Alongside the clerical staff we have developed an open on-line system for logging, investigating and closing all complaints. Often a telephone call or a short conversation is all that is required but we have the processes in place to investigate and deal with serious complaints in a timely and appropriate manner. In a private and expensive hospital these complaints can be very troublesome and bewildering. I hope that I have the clarity of thought to see the issues from all sides and find a solution that satisfies most people most of the time.

Political Awareness

I work in an environment that is tense with cultural, racial, political and religious pressures. I am at ease with the differences and challenges that these pressures bring. I have learned to unite behind common goals and to engage others to promote best practice. I hope that I have a consensual manner and that I am free from prejudice.

Recruitment

Alongside the CMO I am responsible for all physician recruitment. The American Hospital has very exacting standards and we have worldwide applicants. I have developed an understanding and experience of judging international qualifications and putting them in a high quality context. I am familiar with the legal, ethical and professional requirements for fair and transparent appointments.

Others

I take part in the senior management on-call rota. I serve on numerous committees advising on many aspects of the life and work of the hospital. I stand in for the Chief Medical Officer during any absence

INTERESTS OUTSIDE MEDICINE

I have a happy domestic life, my wife and I recently celebrated our Silver Wedding anniversary.

We are enthusiastic but not very brave sailors. We have a sailing boat in France and we find sailing a delightful family hobby. Although we do not race we get a great deal of pleasure from sailing closer on the wind or making better speed than other boats.

I am drawn to all things noisy and dangerous . I have an International motor racing licence and I am a regular competitor in amateur club racing. I am competitive in my class but Lewis Hamilton has nothing to fear from me.

I am an enthusiastic but slow runner, during the summer months I enjoy long sea swims. I am a timid scuba diver. I try to keep fit.

I love modern art and opera.

SUMMARY

I hope that I have the clinical credibility to be respected by my fellow doctors. I am clear sighted and understand priorities. I can write.

References Provided if required

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