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Meet The Team

Medical Team


We are a team of 3 Adult Physicians working within the Exeter CF multidisciplinary team:

Dr Lee Dobson, Dr Nick Withers, and Dr Phil Mitchelmore.

Dr Withers was appointed as Consultant in Respiratory Medicine and CF in 2000. He is currently lead for adult CF services in Exeter and adult lead for the CF Trust research trials programme.

Dr Dobson completed his MD thesis in CF related Diabetes in 2003. He was appointed as Consultant in Respiratory medicine at Torbay Hospital in 2003 and has subsequently moved to join the Exeter team in 2017.

Dr Mitchelmore was appointed as a Consultant in 2020. He completed a PhD in Exeter investigating bacteria in the lungs of people with CF and bronchiectasis in 2018.

Between us we have a depth of experience in CF care . Our aim is to provide excellent specialist care to enable  young people and adults with CF to maintain the best possible health and participate as fully as possible in normal activities and aspirations including family life, Further education, work and leisure. We have a well established clinical research program and Exeter is an accredited site for the CF Clinical trials network helping to promote on going improvements in health care in CF.

Microbiology Services


Dr Cressida Aukland is our Microbiology Consultant lead supporting the complex microbiological needs associated with CF. We endeavour to comply with laboratory standards and CF trust microbiological standards of care. There is local research interest into the CF micro biome.

CF Specialist Nurses


The CF specialist nursing service has a key role in supporting  young people and adults with Cystic Fibrosis. Our role allows us to be here for you  in all aspects of your care through  outpatient clinics, in the community and on the ward during any admissions to hospital.

As Specialist nurses we are your first point of call for all clinical questions or concerns. We will link with the wider multidisciplinary team as needed to ensure you get the right advice.

We aim to ensure that you receive the highest level of CF nursing care. Our role is wide and varies from specialist nursing care around practical procedures, such as supporting you with care of intravenous lines and home IV antibiotic administration, gastrostomy care and arranging blood tests , through to more holistic needs such as navigating  access to further education and employment, signposting you to appropriate financial support, and coordinating access to other services as needed to ensure you receive the right advice and support in each setting.

If you have any CF concerns or worries, please contact us.

Physio Team


Our team covers both adults and children’s CF Physiotherapy care and currently comprises of Adult lead physiotherapist, Jayne Trott (fourth from left) and a team of Specialist Physiotherapists. In the photo left to right: Cory Dowdell, Helen Speedy (North Devon Paediatrics), Tom Kent ( Exercise Therapist), Jayne Trott and Alice Day ( Paediatric lead). We also have a rotational junior physiotherapist working within the team. Between the team they offer a range of expertise to meet your needs. Alice and Jayne co-authored the Association of chartered physiotherapists (ACPCF) CF Physio guidelines in 2020 ensuring excellent national up to date CF care standards. The team actively contribute to CF publications to continue to drive forward CF physio standards of care. (see home page, publications).

Tom is a full time exercise therapist who completes the exercise tests and offers support with individual exercise programmes.

As of July 2024 there will be some temporary team changes to cover maternity leaves within the team

Please see our Adult CF Physiotherapy Services section for further information.

Dietitian Team


Our CF dietitian service supports care for all ages from infancy to adulthood providing continuity of care as you progress through our service. Left to right Dulcie Belvir and Marie Barret ( lead Dietitian).   

As a service we are available for you to support all aspects of  CF nutritional care from infant feeding and weaning through to more specialist nutritional support advice through teenage and adult life. We will be part of your multidisciplinary reviews in outpatients, in the community and during hospital stays. We work closely with our diabetic teams for those with CF Diabetes to optimise nutrition.

Please see our Nutritional Support section for further information and access to CF trust resources.

Psychologists


Psychological care is an essential part of any effective treatment plan for a life limiting medical condition such as Cystic Fibrosis. 

Many individuals with Cystic Fibrosis develop effective coping skills to manage the physical symptoms, treatment burden, psychological and social factors that can have a negative impact on quality of life. At other times, these demands can feel more challenging, and higher levels of anxiety and depression are common in individuals with Cystic Fibrosis and their caregivers. This can be just as damaging to a person’s quality of life as the physical effects of the illness.

Please see our Psychology in the Adult CF Team section for further information.

CF Pharmacist


We have a dedicated CF Pharmacist working with us in our team here in Exeter.

They are able to work with us to ensure the best combinations of medicines for your needs, help us to introduce new CF drugs as they become available and to help support delivery of home care services as you need them. ​

Managerial and Administrative support


We have a lot of support behind the scenes to ensure a smooth running of the service including secretarial support, data clerks and research nurses amongst others, freeing up the team to focus on delivering high quality clinical care.

Other Specialities


We have close links to many other services within the hospital:

From Paediatiric Endocrinology for support with CF related Diabetes, through to ENT, General Surgery, Intervential radiology and Fertility services amongst others.