Miss Elaine Palmer

Miss Palmer is a forward-thinking Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who provides specialist vulval and advanced menopause care both in the private sector and the NHS. She is an inimitable communicator and an empathetic care provider who is proud of her Welsh heritage, believing that caring and kindness “caredigrwydd” should be at the forefront of all patient interactions.

Miss Palmer completed her Medical Student years at Imperial College and gained a BSc with first degree honours in addition to her Batchelor of Medicine and Surgery Degrees. She then went on to train and specialise in Obstetrics and Gynaecology within the North West Thames Region of the London Deanery. Here, within hospitals including St Mary’s Paddington, Queen Charlottes and Chelsea and at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, she was mentored by the renowned clinician’s that had initially inspired her during Medical School, and with whom she is now delighted to work with as colleagues at Welbeck and in the NHS.

Vulval Care:
Following completion of general gynaecological and obstetric training Miss Palmer undertook Advanced Specialist Training in Vulval Disease having developed this unique sub-speciality interest early on in her training when she witnessed the care provided in a joint dermatology and gynaecology clinic, where she saw that exceptional individualised management of vulval and vaginal disease could impact positively and empower women in an area of medicine that otherwise seemed to be overlooked or “sat-on.”
Miss Palmer not only followed the advanced sub-speciality training curriculum, but also developed her own training goals, by studying alongside dermatology, histopathology, plastic surgery, colorectal and sexual health teams, focusing on pursuing expertise in vulval disease management.

Ultimately, Miss Palmer became one of only seventeen UK gynaecologists who completed advanced training in this field 10 years ago, and remains just as passionate about vulval healthcare now as she did then.

Miss Palmer is currently proud to be the Lead Vulval Gynaecologist at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust and works closely within a specialist multidisciplinary team providing care to London residents and those referred from the rest of the UK. She is the North West London, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Vulval Training Preceptor overseeing speciality training in vulval care. She is also the Lead Gynaecologist for the Chelsea Ano-Genital Neoplasia Service, working towards unique, individualised and streamlined care (medical, surgical, laser and oncological) for those with pre-cancerous conditions, including high grade intraepithelial lesions and multi-zonal HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) issues of the vulva, vagina cervix, and anal area.

Menopause:
From a menopause perspective, after recognising the major overlap that this area of healthcare had with vulval-vaginal disease, Miss Palmer took great interest in peri and post reproductive health and the significant impact hormonal issues can have on a person’s quality of life.

Miss Palmer therefore became an active member of the British Menopause Society (BMS), completed advanced training in this area and then gained BMS Advanced Menopause Specialist Status just before she became a consultant. Two years later she gained BMS Principal Menopause Trainer Status and now works for both the FSRH and BMS and trains those wishing to learn or specialise in menopause care including, RCOG trainees, nurses and allied health professionals as well as running her own menopause clinics privately and in the NHS.

Education:
In the NHS, alongside her specialist clinics, Miss Palmer still provides an on-call obstetric role, delivering babies “into the small hours,” and she remains an avid education enthusiast. Since 2009 she has been an Honorary Clinical Lecturer for Imperial College London, is a Joint Site Lead for Undergraduate Obstetric and Gynaecological (O&G) Education for Imperial College Students, and is a St Georges Hospital and University London, Physicians Associate Lead Supervisor.

Life and Passion:
Both within and outside of her career, Miss Palmer remains chatty, emotionally perceptive, loyal, caring and family/friend orientated. She has an ardent passion for sketching, art, painting, and colours in nature. Attributes, which she is sure, help her with her innate pattern recognition abilities, surgical skills and the human interaction and life skills needed to work within the complex specialism of vulval skin care and hormonal fluctuations.

Clinical Posts:

NHS and University Posts:

• Cross Site Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist: Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust

• BMS Advanced Menopause Specialist and BMS/FSRH Menopause Trainer

• Vulval Specialist & The Gynaecology Vulval Lead for the Chelsea Ano-Genital Neoplasia Service (CANS)

• RCOG Vulval Training Preceptor for the North West London Deanery

• Joint Site Lead for Undergraduate Medical Obstetrics and Gynaecology Training/Teaching

• Imperial College: Honorary Clinical Lecturer

Private Care: Vulva and Menopause Care

• Welbeck Women's Health Unit, London

• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Private Patients Department