Richard Berrisford – The importance of remaining vulnerable as surgeons; reflections from a varied and successful career

In the final episode of the series, Lydia and Lucy welcome Mr Richard Berrisford, a Consultant Oesophagogastric Surgeon at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, and learn about his lifelong calling to surgery. His journey led him through medical school at Leeds, with early experiences in Papua New Guinea and Sierra Leone, where he worked with limited resources to provide life-saving care, an experience he describes as both humbling and transformative. Reflecting on his career, Mr Berrisford shares the challenges and rewards of working as a single-handed thoracic surgeon, setting up a new unit in Exeter, and later adapting his practice to focus on oesophago-gastric surgery. He speaks about mentorship and the human side of medicine, especially in dealing with mistakes.

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