In the world of ophthalmology, the role of a consultant extends far beyond patient care. For some, it also encompasses the critical task of training the next generation of surgeons. At SpaMedica, one of the UK’s leading providers of NHS cataract surgery, Mfazo Hove’s passion for teaching is driven by his own commitment to excellence and a desire to give back to the profession he is so proud to be a part of.
Mr Hove has performed many thousands of cataract surgeries in the last three years, 99.7% of which were complication-free, giving his trainees the opportunity to learn from one of the country’s top ophthalmic surgeons. He has been supervising trainee surgeons at SpaMedica since August 2023, and now devotes two days per week to overseeing training lists.
Reflecting on what inspired him to take on this role, he explains, “I didn’t get to where I am by myself. The people who taught me, the people who inspired me to become an ophthalmologist, were already established consultants, so the best way for me to pay them back was by helping to train the next generation and making sure they are good at what they do.”
Mr Hove knows all too well how important those training opportunities are – as an ST1 surgeon, it took nine months before he was able to complete his first case. When his supervising consultant went on holiday and a locum surgeon arrived to provide cover for him, Mr Hove was finally given the opportunity to put theory into practice.
“That locum consultant, who had never worked with me before, just turned up and believed in me right from the start. That’s the biggest thing I learned – if you let your trainees know that you believe in them and you want them to succeed, they perform so much better.”
In fact, Mr Hove has so much faith in his trainees that when he needed cataract surgery himself, he asked one of his former trainees to do the procedure. His cataracts developed due to the long-term use of steroid eye drops to treat chronic uveitis.
“Knowing that somebody else was able to do my cataract surgery because I taught him well, and I was able to go into theatre feeling completely relaxed because he’s a brilliant surgeon – that’s the ultimate satisfaction. That shows you why I’m so passionate about training others. When I teach it’s the best part of the week, the thing I take most pride in.”
When it comes to training, Mr Hove stresses the importance of a personalised approach.
“There’s no ‘one size fits all.’ It’s about supporting each trainee in the way that they need to be supported. Some people need you to be right there with them, holding their hand every step of the way, because they find your presence reassuring. For others, if you’re standing right next to them, it makes them nervous, and they will perform worse because of that. It’s all about working out what your trainee needs and tailoring your approach to suit them.”
If a trainee needs more support with a particular aspect of surgery, Mr Hove is quick to provide a solution that reflects their learning style.
“It’s like being taught how to drive, there are different things you can do to help someone who’s having difficulty with a particular technique. Mainly it’s about being supportive and doing the right thing for that particular trainee,” he explains.
Complications during surgery are rare – Mr Hove speaks proudly of a SpaMedica trainee who recently completed 184 cases without a single complication – but when they do occur, he favours a ‘learn by doing’ approach.
“The first time a trainee ruptures a capsule, I will fix it because I need to teach them how to do it. The second time, I expect them to fix it, and I’ll talk them through everything,” he says. “They learn more from that experience than they would from 20 successful surgeries because they have to learn to deal with the hard stuff, too.”
At SpaMedica, the bar is set high for trainees. “I’m routinely getting my trainees to do 8-10 cases on a list,” says Mr Hove. “I set high standards because those high standards mean that when you’re operating on someone’s eyes, I know you’re going to do a good job. If I put a post of you on my Instagram, you need to have done the whole list with no complications.”
“I also like my trainees to watch back every case and review the footage to identify any areas for improvement.”
Mr Hove ensures that his trainees understand that patient care isn’t just grounded in surgical outcomes – a good bedside manner is essential too.
“It’s my job to make sure that the patient – who might be your mother, or my mother, or somebody else’s family member – gets an excellent outcome when one of my trainees is doing their surgery. It’s important to show the patient that you care, and that you want what’s best for them. You’ve got to create an environment where the patient feels as comfortable as possible.”
This compassionate approach is also evident in how Mr Hove handles patient concerns about being operated on by a trainee surgeon. “If a patient ever expresses that they’re not comfortable, I’ll do the surgery myself,” he says. “We make sure the nurse asks the patient if they’re happy to go ahead before the surgery, when we’re not in the room, so they can object without feeling like they’re going to offend anybody.”
When asked what sets SpaMedica apart from other training providers, Mr Hove highlights several key factors:
“Firstly, the volume of cases is unparalleled. I’ve never worked anywhere else where trainees were given the opportunity to do 100 surgeries in six months, or 200 in a year.” He also points out that consultants are free from other demands while they are supervising at SpaMedica and can give trainees their “undivided attention” – which isn’t always the case in other hospital environments.
“My teaching days are longer, but it’s worth it for what it actually achieves – making the trainees better. It’s about giving them the time that they need to do the best job they can, and if that means we run late, I’m happy to do that because it’s giving them more opportunities to learn and progress.”
Usually, when a supervising consultant goes on annual leave, training is usually paused until they return – but at SpaMedica, a team of dedicated Surgeon Relationship Managers ensure every training list is covered so that trainees never miss an opportunity to learn.
Administrative support is another major advantage. “In other organisations, the trainee would do the operation and then be expected to write up the patient’s notes on the computer afterwards. At SpaMedica, somebody else does that for them.” This allows registrars to spend more time in theatre, honing the skills that will shape their careers.
Mr Hove also points out that all of SpaMedica’s supervisors have a genuine passion for training. “SpaMedica has a faculty of surgeons who are all motivated to train the trainees well, and are willing to devote their time to helping them succeed. I’ve worked in other environments where consultants will openly tell you, ‘I don’t want to train, I don’t enjoy it, it makes me nervous.’ If the consultant says it makes them nervous, then how is the trainee going to feel under their supervision? At SpaMedica, we can choose whether we want to take on that supervisory role, and the calibre of our training reflects the expertise of everyone involved.”
SpaMedica takes a rigorous approach to monitoring the quality of its training. Consultants are required to write detailed reports on each trainee, focusing not only on quantitative data, such as the number of cases performed and complications encountered, but also on qualitative aspects like growth in confidence, improved decision-making, and leadership skills.
“If you want to be a consultant surgeon, you have to be prepared to take responsibility for everything that happens in your theatre – good or bad, and that’s a skill our trainees have to learn too,” Mr Hove declares.
Trainees also provide 360 feedback on their supervisors, ensuring a two-way dialogue that fosters continuous improvement. For ST6 and ST7 trainees, feedback is sought from the theatre team to assess their ability to run the theatre independently and give clear instructions.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the General Medical Council recently published surveys that highlight a lack of training opportunities within the independent sector, as well as difficulties in accessing the opportunities that do exist. That isn’t the case at SpaMedica, says Mr Hove.
“More than 70 trainees have already benefitted from placements at SpaMedica, so from my point of view, we are leading the way. We can only take as many trainees as deaneries are willing to send us, but as far as I’m aware, we’ve never said ‘no’ to anybody. You could be ST1, you could be ST7, and anything in between. People are clamouring for training opportunities, and we’re privileged enough to be able to provide them – and I think we do it really well. I wish as a trainee, I could have been trained by someone at SpaMedica,” he concludes definitively.
Mr Hove’s experience at SpaMedica underscores the importance of passionate, dedicated trainers in shaping the future of ophthalmology. Through personalised mentorship, high standards, and a compassionate approach to patient care, they are helping to ensure that the next generation of surgeons are well-prepared to meet the demands of the profession. As SpaMedica continues to lead the way in surgical training, Mr Hove’s work – and his trainees’ success stories – serve as a testament to the profound impact that skilled and empathetic teaching can have on both trainees and patients alike.
Mr Hove graduated with a 1st class degree from the University of Liverpool in 2002. He began his Ophthalmology career in Eastbourne as a Senior House Officer followed by a rotation through St Thomas Foundation University Hospital. Having gained his MRCOphth he then spent 2.5 years at Moorfields Eye Hospital as a Cataract Research Fellow doing research on multifocal lenses leading to a MD qualification.
His registrar training was on the North Thames Ophthalmology rotation which includes Moorfields Eye Hospital. He completed his FRCOphth, gained his Certificate of Completion of Training and is currently on the specialist register.
He did fellowships at Moorfields Eye Hospital in Medical Retina, Cataracts and Eye Casualty. He also worked as a locum consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital in both the Cataract and Eye Casualty service before taking up a post as a substantive consultant at the Western Eye Hospital (Imperial College Hospital) where he was also the lead for Eye Casualty. In 2022 he left Imperial College Hospital to pursue a career in full time private practice. Mr Hove is now also a SpaMedica clinical supervisor and spends half his week training the next generation of Ophthalmologists.
Mr Hove passed the Certificate of Laser and Refractive surgery (CertLRS) from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2017. He has extensive experience of all refractive surgery procedures including LASIK, LASEK, Implantable ICL, Natural lens replacement (Refractive lens exchange) and intra-ocular lens exchanges.
He has done over 40,000 intra-ocular and refractive procedures in total, including over 20,000 in the last 3 years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mfazo-hove-7bb25a121
https://www.instagram.com/blue_fin_vision_
Your feedback matters to us. Please tell us what you think is missing.
"*" indicates required fields
Δ