Dr Nicholas Sheppard joined the MSG in 2017 from Sunderland Royal Hospital.
He undertook his medical training at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals in London, gaining an MBBS in 2001 and then worked in a number of hospitals in south and south west England, plus a spell in New Zealand.
He started working in anaesthesia in 2004 and undertook registrar training in the north east of England. He has completed advanced training in pain medicine and regional anaesthesia.
In 2014 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and in 2017 a Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine at the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
Dr Sheppard has considerable training and experience across all areas of anaesthesia, with particular interests in pain management and awake surgery. He specialises in ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia allowing some limb surgeries to be performed awake, without patients having a general or spinal anaesthetic, as well as giving excellent pain relief.
He has also helped expand the inpatient acute pain service and the chronic pain service, with the goal of improving pain management for all patients.
“I enjoy anaesthesia because doing it well can make a huge difference to the patient. It can be a scary experience for patients and helping them get through their procedure in the smoothest way for them is very satisfying. Patients with chronic pain are often distressed, with their quality of life severely affected by their pain, often for a prolonged period. Being able to improve their quality of life is the Pain Team’s goal and it is hugely fulfilling to be able have this impact.”
Outside work, Dr Sheppard thoroughly enjoys island life with his young family. They enjoy spending time outside, in the garden, on the beach or going for a cycle ride or walk.
