Mr Espag was born in South Africa and gained his basic medical degree from the University of Pretoria. After working as a houseman in Johannesburg he emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1996, where he completed his Basic Surgical Training in Essex. He passed the MRCS examination in 2000, after which he relocated to the Midlands to complete his Orthopaedic Training at Derby and Nottingham. To gain specialist experience in his chosen subspecialty of Shoulder and Elbow surgery Mr Espag completed fellowship training at the upper limb units at Derby and Nottingham, as well as a 6 month fellowship based in Cape Town with Dr Joe de Beer. He subsequently gained entry to the specialist register in March 2008 and started working at the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary as a Locum Consultant in April 2008, replacing Mr P G Lunn. The appointment became substantive in June 2009. Mr Espags main interest is in arthroscopic and open shoulder and elbow surgery, but he still maintains an interest in General Orthopaedics and is on the on-call rota for general trauma at the Royal Derby Hospital.