Our maxillofacial prosthetics team is changing lives

Tucked away in a corner of the bustling outpatients department at Poole Hospital you’ll find the home of the maxillofacial prosthesis team. At first glance, their workshop is reminiscent of a school science laboratory, complete with Bunsen burners, large metal sinks, test tube holders and even a small oven. Throw in the paints, waxes and fine crafting tools and it starts to feel more like an artist’s studio.

Indeed, this is a team for which the worlds of science and art very much come together, and do so in a way that transforms lives. The lives of Susan, Phillip and John, who lost an ear, nose, and eye respectively due to cancer, as well as the lives of the many other patients who have benefited from their skill, their art, over the years.

For in this workshop, the team painstakingly craft new body features for those who have had to have them removed, either as a result of cancer, of trauma, or who need the team’s support for something that has impacted them since birth.

The results are simply life changing.

The BBC followed maxillofacial prosthetists Heidi and Sian to find out more about what they do, and to meet patients Susan, Phillip and John, and their families. The feature also met the wider team, including maxillofacial surgeon, Mr Ramchandani.

John and his wife with maxillofacial prosthetists Heidi and Sian