External Organisation
Chairs: James Tomlinson and Andreas Fontalis
Agenda
13.00-13.30: James Tomlinson, Consultant Spinal Surgeon,Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
Getting it right: Human factors and how does this apply to the extended clinical team
A practical overview of human factors in orthopaedics, focusing on how teamwork,
communication, workload, handover and system design influence safety and performance.
The session will apply these principles to the Extended Clinical Team, covering role clarity,
supervision and escalation, speaking-up culture, and reliable processes (briefings, checklists,
SBAR, hard stops) across clinics, theatres and on-call work—ending with simple, implementable
actions to improve patient safety and team effectiveness.
13.30-14.00: Kartik Logishetty, Consultant orthopaedic surgeon, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
AI and the Extended clinical team
A practical, governance-led session on how AI can support the Extended Clinical Team in
orthopaedics safely and within clear boundaries. It will cover high-value uses such as
documentation support, record summarisation, triage/pathway navigation, patient
information, task coordination and education, while emphasising that AI remains
decision-support rather than decision-making.
The talk will define what must remain human (clinical judgement in uncertainty, consent,
escalation, intra-operative decisions, safeguarding, professionalism and accountability) and
provide a simple safety framework covering information governance, bias/hallucinations,
validation, audit, supervision “hard stops” and scope-of-practice limits.
14.00-14.30: Irrum Afzal, Vice Chair Research and Innovation, National Orthopaedic Alliance
Research and the Extended Clinical Team
The Extended Clinical Team (ECT) plays an increasingly important role in orthopaedic
research through patient recruitment, data collection, and translating evidence into practice.
This presentation outlines a practical framework for developing a research-active ECT,
covering governance, Good Clinical Practice, supervision, consent, and authorship.
It explores how protected time, mentorship, and multidisciplinary collaboration can
support meaningful research involvement while maintaining service delivery,
ultimately improving patient outcomes, professional development, and quality of care.