Current Committee Members

Dr Laura Beard

Laura is a consultant anaesthetist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and has a specialist interest in regional and obstetric anaesthesia. She has completed a two year regional anaesthetic research fellow post at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a Major Trauma Centre in Birmingham, and is currently undertaking a research MD with the University of Birmingham in regional analgesia for thoracic trauma. Laura has been successful in obtaining anaesthetic research grants from the NIAA and NIHR. She also has a keen interest in medical education and is a member of the block GuRU team.

Dr Joanne Mullender

Jo is a consultant anaesthetist at the Great Western Hospital, with a special interest in obstetrics and peri-operative medicine. She completed medical training at Cambridge University before starting her anaesthetic training in the North West. She transferred to the Severn Deanery to complete her training, undertaking a simulation fellowship in Perth, Australia as an OOPT year. She has helped run COMMA since 2023.

Dr Charlotte Earnshaw

Charlotte graduated from the University of Liverpool with a MBChB Honours degree, and a First class BSc Honours in Pharmacology. She then completed the majority of her anaesthetics training in the Severn deanery, returning near her hometown of Cheltenham. She now works as a Consultant Anaesthetist at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, with specialist interests in Obstetrics and Thoracics. She is a big supporter of interprofessional learning in enhancing maternal safety, and keen to safeguard the future obstetric anaesthesia workforce. Her most recent (and arguably biggest to date) achievement is becoming a Mum.

Dr Maddie Storey

Maddie grew up in Cheshire and completed her post-graduate medical training at Warwick Medical School. Since graduating in 2013, she has rotated through Cheltenham, Gloucester, Swindon and Bristol hospitals, and is currently an ST6 Anaesthesia trainee in the region. Maddie has taken on the first CoMMA Trainee Representative role and hopes to raise the profile of obstetric anaesthesia in the region and improve networking between trusts and colleagues

Dr Neil Choudhuri

Neil grew up in Macclesfield and graduated from University College London Medical School in 2013. After completing his foundation training in the South Thames region, he moved to Bristol to undertake anaesthetics training in the Severn Deanery where he is currently an ST6 resident anaesthetist. He serves as the Stage 2 and 3 resident representatives for the region and has a strong committment to resident wellbeing and upholding training standards. His clinical interests include obstetric anaesthesia and perioperative medicine. When he’s not in theatre,Neil is usually found on the trails of South Gloucestershire in his running shoes or enthusiastically coaching his son’s under-7s football team with some very dubious tactics.

Previous Committee Members

Dr Leslie Jordan

Lesley grew up in Wales, completing her medical training in Leicester. She trained as anaesthetist in Leicestershire, Manchester, London, and Australia including a specialist year at Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne. In 2000 she was appointed as a Consultant, specialising in Obstetric Anaesthesia at the Royal United Hospital in Bath and since 2010 has also been Trust Medical Patient Safety Lead. She has led sustained improvements in patient safety in perioperative care and early identification of the deteriorating patient, winning 2 Patient Safety Care Awards for Prevention of Intraoperative Hypothermia in 2014 and Patient Safety Team of the Year in 2020. She was shortlisted as a finalist for National Patient Safety Lead of the Year in 2017.She has extensive experience in Quality Improvement and is an Associate member of the NHS Improvement Quality Service Improvement and Redesign (QSIR) Faculty, leading a course in Bath as well as a national Perioperative course. She is Deputy Chair of the Royal College Anaesthetists Quality Working Group and Regional QI Lead.

Since 2020 she has been lead for Obstetric Anaesthesia in Bath and has been Treasurer of COMMA since 2012.

Dr Henry Murdoch

Henry is a consultant anaesthetist at Gloucestershire Royal with a specialist interest in Obstetric anaesthesia. He grew up in Northumberland completing medical training in London at Bart’s and the Royal London. After a period working in Australia he completed anaesthetic training in the Severn deanery where he now helps run a simulation training course for novice obstetric anaesthesists. He has helped run CoMMA since 2016.

Dr Nicky Weale

Nicky grew up in the North West then completed her medical training in Nottingham. She continued South and first worked in the South West as an SHO in Cheltenham General Hospital. After continuing her anaesthetic training in the Severn region she was appointed as a consultant at Southmead Hospital in 2009. She has an interest in obstetric anaesthesia and has been lead at Southmead since 2015 and helping to run the CoMMA group since 2011.

COMMA region hospitals

Current CoMMA region obstetric anaesthetic leads

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: Dr Jo Collins

Great Western Hospital, Swindon: Dr Julian Stone

Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton: Dr Ian Taylor

Royal United Hospital, Bath: Dr Lesley Jordan

St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol: Dr Ben Gupta

Southmead Hospital, Bristol: Dr Nicky Weale

Yeovil District Hospital: Dr Justine Middle