Father-Son Surgeons Share Special OR Moment

Sons often follow in their fathers’ footsteps, but for one Portsmouth family, those steps led directly into the operating room. Dr. Nicholas Bennett, a seasoned consultant plastic surgeon at Queen Alexandra Hospital (QA) in Portsmouth, recently shared a “truly special moment” operating alongside his son, Dr. Alexander Bennett, an anaesthetist.

A Family Affair in the Operating Theatre
The unique collaboration saw the father-son duo tackling several joint procedures, including intricate skin cancer removals with reconstruction and urgent hand surgery for a child. This marked the first time the pair had worked together in such a capacity, a moment both described with profound emotion.

Dr. Alexander Bennett, 32, expressed his surprise at the opportunity, stating he “never thought” he would have the chance to work with his 62-year-old father. “I’m at the start of my career, and he’s nearing the end of his, but there was just enough overlap for us to meet in the middle,” he remarked, noting the experience “brought back a lot of memories.” He even recalled a childhood presentation where he dressed as a doctor, reflecting on how their “normal work clothes” now signify their shared profession. Administering anaesthetic for his father to operate was “certainly a unique situation,” he added.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dr. Nicholas Bennett, who began his career as an Army surgeon at The Royal Hospital Haslar in Gosport, echoed his son’s sentiments. While he has always held “great admiration” for his colleagues, he said, “when that anaesthetist is your son, it’s something else entirely.” He described the experience as moving from discussing clinical cases over Sunday lunch to “watching your child bring his skills to life in a real operating theatre,” calling it “a truly special moment.”

Following in Footsteps
Dr. Alexander Bennett followed his father’s path into medicine, training in the Wessex region to become an anaesthetist. He recently joined the QA team, a hospital where he had previously observed his father at work during a school work experience placement. The team in the operating theatre also seemed to enjoy the rare sight, with Dr. Alexander Bennett noting, “It’s not something that happens every day, particularly the anaesthetist and surgeon asking for a photo at the end.”

This heartwarming story highlights the deep bonds of family and the unique professional legacy being built within the medical field in Portsmouth.