Dr Paul Rastall
Specialties:
Gastroenterology
Dr Rastall completed his medical degree in Birmingham in 2005 having also gained an intercalated degree in Medical Ethics and Law. He had the opportunity to travel and successfully won a sponsorship to work in Botswana for 4 months during his medical training. He completed junior doctor roles in a range of specialties in the West Midlands before commencing specialist training in Gastroenterology in 2009. Relocating to Wales in 2011 he undertook 4 years of research both at Swansea University and with the Royal College of Physicians in London where he was a Clinical Fellow with the Health Informatics Unit. He has developed professional guidelines in the field of clinical record standards and led work regarding the use and implementation of digital health records. He’s passionate about patient centred health care and leads work to prioritise patient input into their health management.
Dr Rastall has published and presented research work related to irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. He has presented work throughout the UK and internationally.
He completed Gastroenterology Specialist Registrar training in 2018 with dual accreditation on the GMC Specialist Register in both Gastroenterology and General Internal Medicine. He took up a substantive Consultant post in Carmarthenshire in 2018, primarily based in Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli but also offering specialist services in Glangwili General Hospital, Carmarthen.
Whilst offering the full range of general gastroenterology care he has developed specialist interest in complex inflammatory bowel disease and is now Health Board lead for IBD in Hywel Dda. He has established joint surgical clinics, built a specialist nurse team and developed an advanced pharmacy role to meet the complex needs or patients with inflammatory bowel disease. He sits on the all Wales IBD steering panel and has chaired a number of regional training events.
Dr Rastall provides a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy services (OGD, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy). Having completed many thousands of endoscopies he now teaches and mentors doctors in training within the NHS. He undergoes regular performance evaluation and has an unblemished safety record over 13 years of endoscopy practice.
In his NHS role he is also Clinical Lead for the Acute Medical Assessment Unit in Prince Philip Hospital, responsible for training, standards, quality improvement and prioritising patient focused care.
He is a member of the Health Board wide cancer multi-disciplinary teams for both upper and lower gastrointestinal diseases a key element in his NHS role is the early assessment and investigation of people with suspected or confirmed GI cancers.
Dr Rastall has lived in Carmarthen since 2011 and is proud to have settled in West Wales. He’s passionate about travel both near and far and is regularly exploring the coastal paths with his two dogs. Having spent too many years finally completing a house renovation he’s learned many building skills but is keen to avoid DIY for the foreseeable future. He also enjoys theatre, music, cooking and is keenly building a wine collection.