Bob was an undergraduate in Sheffield and then wandered; with a first job in Shetland and then three years with the British Antarctic Survey. His T&O training was in the North East of England followed by a fellowship in Seattle. He has been a Consultant on the Trauma Service at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford since 1994 and is the National Clinical Lead in Adult Orthopaedic Trauma for the GIRFT (Getting it Right First Time) programme in England.
He has been President of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), the Orthopaedic Trauma Society and AOUKI. He has chaired groups involved in the development of national guidelines related to orthopaedic trauma with NICE and the BOA.