Mr Mercer was the first Plastic Surgeon in the South of England to be Certified by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Cosmetic Facial Surgery; Cosmetic Breast Surgery; Cosmetic Body Contouring Surgery and Cosmetic Periorbital Region Surgery.
Nigel is committed to inter-specialty collaboration, encouraging young doctors to enter the profession of surgery, improving patient safety and collaboration between all the Colleges of Surgery in the British Isles. A lot of the fun seems to have gone from working as a surgeon and he hopes that he can help bring some back. He has just been elected as a Founding Fellow of the Faculty of Medical Leaders and Management.
Nigel was appointed as a Consultant Plastic Surgeon in 1991, taking up his post after a Fellowship in North America, in 1992. He has been in NHS practice since and has been the senior cleft surgeon in the Cleft Unit of the South West of England and is the Senior Plastic Surgeon in Bristol for well over a decade. He is the only cleft surgeon to have presented his accumulated results for growth and speech for all cases. He also has an active cosmetic surgical practice. Nigel has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international scientific meetings.
Nigel is the Past President of British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS 2015-16) and has been President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and twice the President of the European Association of Societies of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (EASAPS).
Nigel was the Lead Delegate for the British Standards Institute Mirror at the CEN negotiations on Aesthetic Surgery in Europe and he has been at the core of improving patient safety in Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine in the United Kingdom and Europe. He was invited to give advice to the Keogh Review into cosmetic surgery after the PIP crisis and advised the Minister of Health in preparing one of the reports. He is the lead assessor for the Certification Scheme in Cosmetic Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and is a founding member of the board of the Cosmetic Practice Standards Authority. He also chairs the group advising the MHRA about BIA-ALCL, a new form of lymphoma, which can affect breast implants.
Nigel has significant media experience and has given numerous interviews to TV, radio and the print media. He was invited to debate with ‘Belle du Jour’ at the ‘How the Light Gets In’ Festival of Philosophy and Ideas at Hay on Wye and he has been a film critic for the Guardian newspaper on one occasion. In addition, he has been quoted by the BBC on several occasions. Outside medicine, he loves the theatre and walking with his partner, he also enjoys skiing and flying, but rather more than his partner! He has 3 adult children, all of whom went into professional sports.
Specialty
- Plastic surgery
Clinical Interests
- Plastic surgery
- Cosmetic surgery
- Facial surgery
- Breast surgery
- Skin cancer
Current Posts
- Founding Fellow of the Faculty of Medical Leaders and Management
- Senior Clinical Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Bristol
- Lead Assessor – Certification Scheme in Cosmetic Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons
First Qualification
1980
Memberships
- British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS)
- British Association of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS)
- British Medical Association
- The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- The European Association of Societies of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland
- American Cleft Palate Association
