Dr Phil Mayhead

My name's Phil Mayhead, I'm a Consultant Gastroenterologist. I've been a consultant since 2009 and I've worked at Benenden for nearly a year. I have enjoyed it immensely actually, since I've been here; the organisation is very well run. It's efficient and the environment is modern, clean and friendly. So, it's been a good move to set up my practice here.

I have been a practitioner in the health service in Sussex and Kent since around 2005. And I've been a Consultant Gastroenterologist about 14 to 15 years now. I specialise in endoscopy and then in doing, sort of, advanced interventional endoscopy. But I can turn my hand at many areas of gastroenterology and hepatology.

With gastroenterology, it's a good specialty that covers both the sort of theoretical aspects of medicine and also the practical aspects as well. So, if you have a bent to do procedures and practical things, then that is an enjoyable specialty from that perspective. But equally from the more cerebral aspect of it, the gastroenterology brushed up against a lot of other specialties and it's a very interesting area to work at.

Every day is a bit different. I like the endoscopic aspect of doing the technical things. I like talking to people. I like to problem solve. The patient has come with a problem that they want to get resolved or understand a bit better. The point of the consultation is to try and find out from the patient what it is that they are worried about. And that's something I do focus on when I talk to them in clinic. I try and sit and listen and find out what's important and then try and find a solution to their problems, either in terms of undertaking further investigations, along with referral or advice regarding a specific issue that is within my area of expertise.

So outside of work, apart from sort of wrangling my family, I have three kids, I also do a lot of exercise. I do a lot of sport and cycling, running, horse riding.