When Rob Hart arrived at the Trust 30 years ago, Euro 96 had gripped the nation, and he was beginning what would become an extensive career with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals dedicated to patient care.
Now, he is one of the Trust’s most respected clinicians - known not only for his expertise in endoscopy, but also for his calm manner, sharp wit and unwavering commitment to innovation.
Originally from Oxfordshire, Rob first went to medical school convinced he would become an orthopaedic surgeon.
“I wanted to fix things,” he says. “I’d had surgery on my foot as a child and thought, if someone can do that and make such a difference, that’s what I want to do.”
But medicine had other plans. After training at St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School in London, Rob discovered general surgery was a better fit. He built his early career in surgery before being appointed to the Trust in 1996 as a consultant surgeon.
A few years later, his career took another turn - one that would define the rest of his working life.
“I gradually found myself doing more and more endoscopy,” he says. “Then eventually it became all I did.”
Today, Rob is one of the Trust’s most experienced endoscopists, having performed more than 22,000 colonoscopies and many thousands of other endoscopic procedures across a career spanning four decades.
He joined the national bowel cancer screening programme in 2008, something he describes as one of the proudest parts of his career.
“It’s probably the best programme I’ve ever been involved with,” he says. “Because you know it’s saving lives. There’s no doubt about that.”
Rob is particularly known for taking on complex procedures and difficult referrals, often managing cases sent specifically because of his expertise in challenging colonoscopy and large polyp removal.
For Rob, medicine has always been about striving to improve. “One of my biggest bugbears is the idea that because services are busy, we can’t do anything new,” he says. “Standing still in medicine isn’t standing still, it’s falling behind. If you don’t keep developing, you’re moving backwards.”
It is a philosophy that has shaped his career and one he believes is essential for the future of healthcare.
Away from medicine, that same competitive spirit was evident in another arena: rowing.
As a teenager, Rob competed at international level and achieved remarkable success. In his final race as a junior rower, he won the junior singles sculls at the Henley Sculling Head of the River Race. The competitor who finished second, more than two seconds behind him, was a 13-year-old rowing prodigy named Steve Redgrave.
Although Rob eventually chose medicine over elite sport, rowing helped earn him a place at medical school and remains one of the great passions of his life.
Despite the seriousness of his work, Rob is perhaps best known among colleagues and patients for his sense of humour. “We like to keep things light-hearted, but never flippant,” he says. “There’s a fine line, and we don’t cross it.”
Patients often leave endoscopy appointments surprised to have laughed or been distracted during a procedure, thanks to Rob’s sense of humour.
Over the years he has balanced his medical career with a wide range of interests, from golf to motorcycling, piano playing to playing for Leyland Chess Club. Retirement, meanwhile, has been a gradual process.
Rob officially retired and returned in 2020, taking just a single day off before coming back to support services through the pandemic. Since then he has gradually reduced his hours while continuing to share his expertise with colleagues and patients alike.
Reflecting on 30 years at the Trust, said: “I’ve worked with wonderful teams of nurses and colleagues over the years. That’s what stays with you.”
