Meet the Team

Greg Williams is clinical liaison BMS with a special interest in trauma and orthopaedic wound infections. In this role he provides liaison between the Swansea Bay UHB laboratories and various orthopaedic and trauma teams. He initially trained in diagnostic medical microbiology at St Thomas’ hospital and has over twenty years of experience working in various microbiology departments of hospitals throughout the UK.

“It is an exciting time for PHW spearheading narrative authorising across Wales, increasing the quality of requests received and more importantly improving the quality of reports authorised. Being part of this rewarding initiative is highly rewarding for me and can only lead to further opportunities whereby we can improve the service delivery of PHW”

A scientific career was an aspiration from a young age. I am a registered Biomedical Scientist with the Health and Care Professions Council, a registered Chartered Scientist and a Fellow member of the Institute of Biomedical Science, and with over 15 years’ experience in the specialism of Clinical Microbiology. I have worked as a Senior Biomedical Scientist and an Operational Manager/Deputy Lead BMS. In January 2021, I joined PHW as a Senior Clinical Biomedical Scientist, where my Narrative Reporting in Microbiology dialogue began. To me, Narrative Reporting not only aids diagnostic decisions, but it is an engagement, providing bespoke reporting, making the laboratory report more meaningful, educational and ultimately aiding clinical management of the patient.

A large part of my new exciting role as a Clinical Liaison BMS has been doing the innovative and novel approach of ‘narrative authorising’ in microbiology which has been made possible by Dr Simmons thanks to the Bevan Exemplar.

My professional interests are based around antibiotic resistance and stewardship and I believe this narrative authorising project will have, and already is having a huge influence on these issues around Wales and I’m thrilled to be a part of driving this change.

I also have an active interest in microbiology in developing/war torn countries. I work with the international NGO ‘Doctors Without Borders’ which has taken me to healthcare projects in the Middle East and Africa where microbiology provision and antibiotic stewardship has been my focus. I also worked in West Africa during the Ebola outbreak and am keen to learn and develop my knowledge of tropical, emerging and neglected infectious diseases in the future.

Dr Mike Simmons – Public Health Microbiologist

Public Health Wales

Dr Mike Simmons is the Clinical Lead for Public Health Wales Microbiology Services to the Hywel Dda Health Board.  Previously he was Director of Health Protection within the National Public Health Service for Wales and from 2000 to 2007 was the Senior Medical Officer (Communicable Diseases) on secondment to the Welsh Assembly Government.  His health protection interests are wide, as a result of his previous employment but his current preoccupations include healthcare associated infections, design and decontamination of surgical instruments, as well as his longstanding passion of the application and use of information management solutions in health.

Mike is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and the Faculty of Public Health.  Specialist training in medical microbiology was conducted in the Royal Navy, where he served a 16 year commission, including active service with the South Atlantic Task Force.

It was whilst Rachel was working for Public Health England and with support and training at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital that after a decade in environmental, food and water microbiology she made the switch into medical diagnostic science. Upon qualifying as a biomedical scientist in 2004 she practised in medical microbiology at St Thomas’ Hospital and subsequently at Gloucester Royal Hospital and most recently The University Hospital of Wales. Whilst having gained wide experience across all aspects of laboratory microbiology Rachel has specialist areas of interest within Respiratory Microbiology including Cystic Fibrosis and molecular biology which she believes will shape the future for the diagnostic service. She is actively involved in promoting and educating school age children about careers within science in her role as a STEM Ambassador.

“I see an exciting time ahead within my new clinical biomedical scientist role at Public Health Wales as we support the role out of narrative authorising. The addition of narrative to positive microbiology reports will allow us to engage, support and educate end users both in primary and secondary care. Already being proved of huge value this will undoubtedly improve the service and continue to support the aim for quality in, quality out”