Surgery and Rehabilitation in Italy

About Us

IMeT

IMeT - Surgery and Physical Rehabilitation - is a new agency, specialised in orthopaedic surgery and physical rehabilitation, at four private hospitals located in Italy.

IMeT associated hospitals offer excellent medical, surgical and anaesthesiological standards (totally equivalent to those of the UK), but at noticeably competitive prices if compared to the private hospitals offering in the UK. And that in areas of outstanding natural beauty and/or historical interest, with the possibility, for patients or friends and relatives travelling with them, to combine the treatment with a relaxing or cultural holiday in the vicinity of the hospital.

Company Officers

Chief Medical Officer

Dr Lucio Fumi

Lucio Fumi is an Italian / British physician, who worked as a clinical geriatrician, and after that for over thirty years in the healthcare industry in Italy, Germany, Slovenia, the UK and the Netherlands. Registered for Medical Practice in Italy and the UK, Dr Fumi has worked as Medical Director of international corporations, to include Baxter, Abbott, Terumo and Bristol-Myers Squibb, with pharmaceutical, biotech, clinical nutrition and medical technology products.

In 1998 Lucio set up Wyfold Medical, a consultancy agency dedicated to medical affairs and clinical development for the medical device and biotech industry, and to interim management for a number of pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. He is currently Global Director of Medical Affairs of Piramal Critical Care and Chief Medical Officer of IMeT.

In the last 10 years his main focus has been in the loco-regional treatment of cancer, anaesthesia, intensive care and pain management. Dr Fumi has been President of the Italian Medical Society of Great Britain (2014-16) and Chairman of the Board of BetaGlue Technologies (2016-18). During the Covid-19 pandemic he has been involved in drug repurposing projects and in the vaccination programme in the UK.

Lucio is based in Oxford, England.

Chief Operating Officer

Giulio Ercolessi

Giulio Ercolessi has been for decades a member of the boards of directors of companies managing private hospitals affiliated with the public healthcare service in several Italian regions.

He has also been the president, director, board member or contributor in European and Italian think-tanks, foundations and NGOs based in Rome and Brussels, and a writer and essayist on many public affairs and cultural topics, including healthcare reform, constitutional reforms, European affairs.

He has been a regular commentator in a number of cultural journals and daily papers and a participant in the “inter-convictional dialogue” promoted by the European Parliament and the European Commission.

Giulio is based in Trieste, Italy.

Chief Executive Officer

William (Billy) Hargan

William (Billy) Hargan has over 40 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, with a career spanning senior leadership roles across the UK and international markets.

After studying Physiology and Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, Billy began his career in the pharmaceutical industry before progressing into senior commercial and executive roles. He has held leadership positions with major global healthcare organisations including Boots Pharmaceuticals, BASF Pharma, Abbott, Hospira and Piramal Critical Care. During his time overseas, Billy was CEO of the publicly listed Boots Pharmaceuticals Ltd in Pakistan.

Throughout his career, Billy has been responsible for building and leading high-performing teams, establishing international healthcare infrastructures, and supporting the delivery of safe, high-quality care for patients. Most recently, as Senior Vice President of International Sales and Marketing and Global Chief Patient Centricity Officer at Piramal Critical Care, he led global initiatives focused on improving patient outcomes, experience, and quality of life.

Billy believes that patients achieve the best outcomes when care is personalised, carefully planned, and centred around their individual needs. This belief underpins his role as CEO of IMeT, where his focus is on ensuring that every patient undergoing hip, knee or shoulder replacement receives not only expert surgical care, but also high-quality post-operative support and on-site rehabilitation. He is committed to providing a seamless, well-coordinated experience — from first consultation through surgery, rehabilitation, and recovery — to help patients return safely and confidently to everyday life.

Billy is based in the South of England.

Clinical Director UK
Orthopaedic Care Coordination

Dr Filomena Paciello

Dr Filomena Paciello is a dual board-certified General Practitioner, licensed to practise in both the EU and the UK. She holds a Master’s Degree in Cardiology and has extensive hospital-based experience in Emergency and Medical Specialties.

Since 2008, Filomena has practised as a GP in London, combining clinical excellence with leadership responsibilities. She served as GP Lead at St Mary’s Hospital Urgent Care Centre, where she oversaw clinical governance and performance monitoring. Her commitment to research and cardiovascular prevention led her to join Imperial College’s International Centre for Circulatory Health, contributing to major international trials, including acting as UK Principal Investigator for the UMPIRE study on cardiovascular prevention strategies.

In 2020, Dr Paciello founded Italian GP London, a private telemedicine platform providing GP services to the Italian community in the UK. In 2024, she expanded her vision by establishing Evergreen Richmond Medical, a multidisciplinary clinic offering private GP and specialist care with a strong focus on prevention and personalised medicine.

As Clinical Director UK for IMeT Orthopaedic Care Coordination, Dr Filomena plays a pivotal role in managing the UK-based patient pathway for major orthopaedic surgery in collaboration with IMeT and Policlinico Triestino. She oversees pre-surgical screening, coordinates referral pathways and ensures continuity of care post-operatively in partnership with NHS GPs and Italian surgical teams.

Her leadership bridges UK and Italian healthcare systems, guaranteeing compliance with clinical governance standards, patient safety protocols and effective communication between multidisciplinary teams to deliver seamless, high-quality care across borders.

Legal Advisor

Andrea Bitetto

Andrea graduated in Law, specialising in Forensic Studies, from the University of Trieste, with a thesis on Comparative Private Law (entitled ‘Contractual Autonomy in Italy and in Common Law’). He then continued his studies, obtaining a PhD in Comparative and European Legal Systems from the University of Trento (thesis entitled ‘Information and Contracts, Profiles of Comparative Law’). He completed a research stay at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg. He is qualified to practise as an attorney at law.

He was a contract lecturer in Private Law and Comparative Legal Systems at the Faculty of Law in Trieste.

He participated in the International Contract Law course organised by King's College London (2011).

He has provided and continues to provide out-of-court assistance to companies, from the drafting of statutory clauses, shareholders' agreements, transfers of shares and holdings, to the drafting of contracts for companies. He assists his clients in disputes relating to the liability of company directors, auditors, doctors, healthcare facilities, public and private hospitals, inheritance cases, civil and contractual liability, banking and insurance law, advice on trusts and fiduciary arrangements, succession and wills. Business crisis management and negotiation of programme agreements pursuant to Legislative Decree No. 152/2006.

Member of the editorial committee of the magazine “I Contratti” published by Il Sole 24 Ore.

Attorney for Prima Fiduciaria s.p.a., an authorised trust company.

He has been a consultant for the Science Park Research Area to assist innovative start-ups.
Ordinary member of the Einaudi Centre in Turin, member of the editorial board of the magazine Mondo Economico, former correspondent for the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für Freiheit. He edited the annual report (2013, 2014, 2015) on justice for the annual report on liberalisation edited and published by Società Libera.

He carries out his activities in Trieste, where his firm is based.

Webmaster

Geoff Pitcher

Geoff Pitcher worked in the financial services sector for many years with experience in retail and international banking before moving into a range of IT focussed roles within HSBC (UK).

In the last 10 years he worked for a UK based Mergers and Acquisitions business providing full back office and IT support to the business owners.

Geoff acts as webmaster for IMeT and is responsible for designing, managing and maintaining the website, which includes technical and content-related duties to ensure the site is accessible, up-to-date, secure, and functions properly. This multifaceted role includes web design, content creation, server administration, and optimising for search engines (SEO).

Geoff is based in Oxfordshire, UK.