A WINCHESTER doctor is helping to improve standards of care for breast cancer patients in the UK.

Dick Rainsbury, consultant surgeon at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, helped develop new guidelines on breast reconstruction.

The guidelines were launched last Wednesday (Nov 22) by the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), of which Mr Rainsbury is president, Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) and Breast Cancer Care.

It is the first time plastic and breast surgeons have collaborated on a comprehensive service improvement, building on original guidelines published in 2007.

Mr Rainsbury, who edited the guidelines, said: “These ground-breaking guidelines are based around the experience of thousands of women with breast cancer, and hundreds of teams involved in their treatment. “They lay down new practice-changing standards of care, so women can now look forward to much better information, easier access and greater choice when facing often difficult decisions about breast reconstruction. They will also enjoy real improvements in hospital care delivered by specialist teams, leading to fewer complications, earlier discharge and a quicker recovery.”

The full guidelines are available from bapras.org.uk and associationofbreastsurgery.org.uk.