International conference at Anglia Ruskin will feature leading debate and research

An international breast reconstruction conference will be hosted by St Andrew's Regional Burns and Plastics Centre at Broomfield Hospital in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University on Friday, 16 November and Saturday, 17 November.

Speakers from around the world will meet at Anglia Ruskin in Chelmsford to debate the very best practices aimed at enhancing patient care. The conference will also host the launch of a new partnership, the StAAR (St Andrew's Anglia Ruskin) Research Unit.

This partnership, between the Postgraduate Medical Institute (PMI) at Anglia Ruskin and the world-renowned St Andrew's Centre, is dedicated to the investigation of novel therapeutic strategies in plastic, reconstructive and burns surgery.

StAAR will focus on regional research activity, provide an infrastructure to maximise funding, and create opportunities for training and partnerships with industry. The clinical aims are to increase the evidence base for current practice, provide a multidisciplinary platform for regional, national and international co-operation, and provide an educational framework for clinical activity.

The conference, held at Anglia Ruskin, will see speakers from as far afield as China, Canada and the US debate the latest clinical advancements in breast reconstructive surgery.

The conference is the brainchild of Venkat Ramakrishnan, a local consultant surgeon with an international reputation for complex 'microsurgical' breast reconstruction.

Mr Ramakrishnan said: 'The St Andrew's Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns is a world-renowned plastic surgical centre, and it is one of the largest plastic surgical units in Europe, if not in the world. We have over 20 consultant plastic surgeons working on a single site delivering care to patients from all over Essex and parts of London.

'In some specialist areas such as specialised burn care, microsurgical reconstruction following cancer removal, complex hand surgery and cleft lip and palate surgery, this centre attracts patients from all over the country and, at times, international patients.

'The breast reconstruction service in its present form has been developed since 2002. With increased awareness about breast reconstruction and the NICE guidelines which stipulate that reconstruction must be offered to all patients undergoing mastectomy (removal of breast), the demand for this operation has increased.

'Today, the unit performs over 400 breast reconstructions per year. Most of these reconstructions are complex microsurgical reconstructions. The unit is a world leader in this area and has developed many new techniques and innovations in this field. This breast reconstruction service attracts trainees and visitors from all over the world.'

A particular focus of the conference will be on service delivery, specifically how this can be optimised in breast reconstruction to ensure that even in a challenging economic climate, local breast cancer patients can continue to receive services that are of equal quality to anywhere in the world. Mr Ed Buchel (Winnipeg, Canada) has pioneered Canadian best practice in service delivery and will give a keynote talk on his 'winning team' philosophy to highlight ideas and innovations that could be directly transferrable to NHS practice in the UK.

Mr Graeme Perks, Vice President of the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) will attend the meeting, confirming its significance nationally. Dr Connie Chen, from New York, will join leading European surgeons such as Prof Phillip Blondeel and Prof Jose Martin del Yerro in providing a truly international flavour to the conference.