Meet Bronek Boszczyk, Consultant Spinal Surgeon on of the stars of BBC2's Hospital | Latest news

The spinal fellowship at Nottingham Hospitals is the key reason I came to the UK in 2007 as the opportunity to work at a hospital which provides leading regional spinal surgery, is one many in my field aim to do.

Having completed my medical training in Germany with electives spent in South Africa and USA, I qualified as a Neurosurgeon in 2003; I then embarked on a period of specialist spine surgery training before taking on a role as Consultant Spinal Surgeon at NUH.

Spinal surgery is a very exciting specialty as there is a broad spectrum of conditions that are treated using this technique; very few surgical specialties treat conditions from the base of the skull to the pelvis, including access to the front and back of the spine. We work closely with several specialty areas throughout the procedure and the department treats patients from children to adult including tumor, trauma and degenerative conditions.

The reason I do what I do is because my role is very satisfactory and rewarding and the procedures we do change people’s lives. There are procedures that can reverse partial paralysis in patients and many of the smaller procedures can help patients with pain relief, it’s not just about treating the condition it is also about improving the patient’s wellbeing, their self-image and their life perspective.

Working at NUH during what has been reported as one of the toughest winters for the NHS has been a heartbreaking experience, staff have felt the ultimate pressure to help all our patients however have not always been able to do so, due to the pressure and having to prioritize clinically urgent and cancer operations. People plan their lives around these procedures and when patients are not able to access the services it is heartbreaking. The challenge with cancelling procedures which are not clinically urgent is that we know we have people who are already struggling to live their lives because they need this surgery and it is difficult to have to prioritize patients – as all of these operations are essential.

On a good day when we have all our medical and surgical teams working together, going above and beyond to find the right solution for patients – nowhere beats here (NUH). It is always a fantastic feeling and credit to our staff when we pull together to achieve these complex surgeries that we provide to our population.

Some of my career highlights include being Nottingham Hospital’s Head of Service for Spinal Surgery, for five years and being instrumental in implementing many features the department is a regional leader for, including the East Midlands hub for complex deformities spinal surgery. During my time here it has been a significant achievement for the department to achieve GMC sponsorship status and the Spinal Surgery Fellowship at NUH was the first unit in the UK to be approved by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS).

Having been at Nottingham Hospitals for the last 12 years I have worked with such a fantastic mix of people with a variety of clinical skills and know-how. Professionally it is a very satisfying experience to see different teams and expertise working together and looking for ways to optimize the outcomes of patients.

In May Bronek will be moving to Germany after 12 years at Nottingham Hospitals, to take on a position of Head of Service for a Spinal Surgery unit for the Artemed Group in Tutzing just south of Munich, with his wife and two daughters joining him.

You can see Bronek in Tuesday’s episode of Hospital on BBC Two from 9pm.