Mrs Claudia Harding-Mackean

Practising at

Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral

Treatment information

Some of the principal treatments carried out by Mrs Claudia Harding-Mackean at Spire include:

Breast care and surgery

• Breast enlargement
• Breast implant removal
• Breast lump investigation
• Breast lump removal
• Breast reconstruction following mastectomy
• Breast reduction
• Breast uplift (mastopexy)
• Mastectomy
• Mammogram (mammography)
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy and lymph node removal
• Male breast reduction surgery (gynaecomastia)

Cosmetic surgery

• Liposuction

Professional profile

I was appointed full time consultant general surgeon with special interest in breast surgery in 2001 having completed my general surgical training in the Manchester and Mersey regions. I undertook an oncoplastic fellowship at the Institut Curie in Paris to complement my specialist training in breast reconstruction techniques. I have worked in Chester in general and breast surgery up until 2010, then wholly in breast and thyroid surgery. I assess and manage the full range of breast symptoms needing medical assessment and perform surgery for benign and malignant conditions. My priority is oncoplastic breast reconstruction solutions where feasible. I maintain a strong interest in clinical research to further advance breast cancer care and prevention and I am principle investigator for a number of clinical trials. I am involved in teaching medical students and trainee surgeons as well as allied professionals.

I specialise in breast surgery breast surgery with special interest in oncoplastic surgical tumour excision; involving reconstruction techniques to maintain or restore breast shape and volume, optimise breast symmetry with the other breast, and restore form of the treated breast. The techniques involve breast reduction (therapeutic mammaplasty), implant based reconstruction, dermal slings and acellular dermal martrices, local tissue replacement (autologous techniques such as lipomodelling and perforator flap eg LICAP) and whole breast reconstruction with autologous techniques (muscle-sparing LD flaps using implants and/or lipomodelling).

Mastectomy >1,250 mastectomy and immediate reconstruction 450 implant based reconstructions >500 LD flap reconstruction > 150 TRAM flap > 60 LICAP/anterior perforator flaps > 25 therapeutic mammaplasty > 200 wide local excisions >600 breast reductions >200 sentinel node biopsy >1,300

Clinical Lead for Breast and Plastic Surgery at Countess of Chester Hospital Lead for clinical audit and for clinical research at the Countess of Chester Breast Unit.

Teaching on Intercollegiate Exam Course for Higher Surgical Trainees annually for several years Honorary Lecturer at University of Liverpool Medical School Teaching on the Cadaveric Skills Course at Manchester Medical School Sim Lab. In recent years I have demitted office as Royal College Tutor at the Countess of Chester Hospital, from organising the annual prospective medical student course at Liverpool Medical Institute, and was a committee member on the Chester BMA LNC and the Chester and North Wales Medical Society.

Qualification and professional memberships

MB ChB FRCS Oncoplastic Fellowship / University of Edinburgh, Faculty of Medicine / 1987
MB ChB FRCS Oncoplastic Fellowship
MB ChB-qualification from medical school, FRCS-completion of training, Fellowship-specialty completed

Professional memberships

GMC (Full 1988-present) 3257489
Medical and dental Defence Union Scotland
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow
Royal College of Surgeons of England
Association of Breast Surgery, BASO the Association for Cancer Surgery,
British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgeons

Professional leadership

Clinical Lead for Breast and Plastic Surgery at Countess of Chester Hospital
Lead for clinical audit and for clinical research at the Countess of Chester Breast Unit

Current NHS posts

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Private contact details