Qualifications: MRCSI (2006), MD (2015), FRCSI (2017), MBChB (2004), BSc(Hons) (1998)
GMC Number: 6104802
Regional Chapter: Northern Ireland
Biography
Mr Barry McAree is a consultant colorectal surgeon in Antrim Area Hospital. He is general and emergency surgery lead in Antrim and NICaN clinical reference group lead for colorectal cancer.
Having completed his post-CCT laparoscopic and trans-anal endosopic microsurgery fellowship in Bradford, West Yorkshire, he took up his consultant post in Antrim in April 2018.
Initially a pharmacist having studied in Queen’s University of Belfast he completed undergraduate medicine in the University of Birmingham and an MD in Leeds University in 2015.
Mr McAree has more recently completed the Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship were his project was entitled “Reducing waiting times to colorectal cancer diagnosis in Northern Trust/Northern Ireland” based around getting qFIT (quantitative faecal immunoassay test) into Northern Ireland as part of a lower GI cancer pathway from primary care. This work was facilitated initially through Northern Trust and subsequently NICaN with the aid of multiple regional colleagues.
Specific interests include ambulatory emergency surgery and value based healthcare. As part of cohort 5 of the UK wide surgical ambulatory care network, the team in Antrim have delivered a new model of surgical care which has allowed for a significant decrease in length of stay for emergency surgical patients saving 5,000 bed days per year since its inception. This has allowed continuation of elective work in Antrim depite the fallout from the SARS-COV2 pandemic without additional infrastructure and has paved the way for Bengoa alligned transformation of general surgery services in NHSCT.
Mr McAree was co-lead of the Northern Ireland general surgery elective secondary care review under the Department of Health and sat on the general surgery network panel and continues to partake in the resultant regional general suregery network.
Current projects include delivery of robotic assisted surgery platforms for pan-specialty use across the region via the general surgerfy network, plus a drive via NICaN to ensure NI’s colorectal cancer management is included in NBOCA (National bowel cancer audit for England and Wales) aimed at delivering improvements in CRC diagnosis, treatment and service delivery.