Dr Jo Simpson and Professor Javed Sultan appointed as CPOC Deputy Directors
The Royal College of Anaesthetists are delighted that Dr Jo Simpson and Professor Javed Sultan have been appointed as Deputy Directors for the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) Board.
Dr Jo Simpson is a Consultant in Anaesthesia at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and NHSE Clinical Lead for Perioperative Care, East of England. She has supported local quality improvement work, led a clinical network to share and develop practice and delivered multidisciplinary perioperative care education days to the workforce.
Jo has also spent six months working with the national NHSE Perioperative Care team, undertaking national service evaluation projects and has led the delivery of toolkits to support implementation of specific areas of perioperative care.
Dr Jo Simpson said: ‘I am delighted to be appointed as Deputy Director for the Centre of Perioperative Care. As a clinical anaesthetist, I understand that more than ever, the NHS is under pressure to meet the needs of a population with increasing levels of comorbidity and frailty. We must aim to deliver more individualised, patient-centred perioperative pathways to provide the best quality of care and utilise resource efficiently.
‘By providing resources to help colleagues with local implementation, facilitating best use of digital systems and by educating our workforce, we can ensure a coordinated approach to impactful solutions for our patients across the NHS.’
Professor Javed Sultan is a Consultant Oesophago-Gastric Surgeon, past OG lead for AUGIS and Greater Manchester clinical lead for OG cancer. He is also the National Clinical Lead for Upper GI Cancer at NHS England.
Javed developed a passion for prehabilitation and enhanced recovery, following five years at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, an internationally recognised unit. He then moved to the Salford Royal Hospital with a large centralised OG service covering 3.2 million. Subsequently he became Unit Clinical Lead, GM Cancer Lead for OG cancer and completed a three-year term as OG Lead for the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons (AUGIS).
Javed is currently leading a research programme with Manchester Metropolitan University and Southampton investigating the mechanistic effects of resistance and hypoxic altitude training on sarcopenia, muscle function, mitochondria and the tumour microenvironment in OG cancer.
Professor Javed Sultan said: "I am delighted to take on the role of Deputy Director at the Centre for Perioperative Care.
“This is a great opportunity to deliver improvements in perioperative care at a national level and ultimately improve surgical outcomes."
From 1 February 2026, the new deputy directors will take over from Professor Scarlett McNally and Professor Jugdeep Dhesi who finish their term at the end of this month (January 2026).
Dr Claire Shannon, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, commented on CPOC’s new appointments: “I am delighted to welcome Jo and Javed as the new Deputy Directors of the Centre for Perioperative Care, who both bring significant expertise and experience in perioperative pathways in medicine, care and education.
“I’d like to thank Scarlett and Jugdeep for their exceptional leadership and commitment to improving patient outcomes over the last six years and I look forward to the RCoA and CPOC’s continued partnership to integrate perioperative care throughout the NHS.”