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My medical student and early surgical training was in Cardiff before taking up a research post in Leeds where I stayed for my senior surgical training on the West Yorkshire rotation including a year in Sydney Australia. I was appointed a consultant colorectal and general surgeon in Bath in 1999 and have worked there ever since, in both NHS and private practice. My whole career has been aimed at specialising in the management of colorectal disease after being inspired by someone very early in my career. I undertook a research fellowship in Leeds, studying patients bowel function after surgery for inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, and gaining an MD. I continue to be interested in surgical research but mainly by supporting national randomised trials as a local principle investigator, which I believe is the best way to improve UK colorectal surgery through research.

I decided to learn the technique of laparoscopic colorectal surgery whilst already practising as a consultant, unlike many surgeons of my era, and I have been very satisfied with that approach to surgery and it's improvement in patient recovery; so much so that I also chose to learn laparoscopic techniques for repairing hernias after spending quite a lot of time deciding how I wanted a very close family to have their hernia repaired - I couldn't really then not learn the technique to offer to my patients. I think it is important to see a surgeon who can offer both open and laparoscopic approaches to groin hernia repair, to get a value opinion about which treatment suits you best. Similarly, when dealing with patients who have haemorrhoids I have adopted a range of techniques to allow me to offer patients a choice of better outcome versus discomfort. I am very experienced in all aspects of colorectal surgery, proctology and hernia surgery. I am frequently told by patients that I have a skill for explaining diseases and their treatments in a way that they can easily understand and better than previous explanations.

Outside of surgery I enjoy hill-walking, skiing, now only occasional sailing and most recently I have taken up rowing. My wife works as a general practitioner and in the local emergency department; we have three sons and none of them have chosen a career in medicine.

Diseases, Medical Tests and Treatments

Laparoscopic and open groin and abdominal wall surgery

Colonoscopy

Colonoscopic polyp removal

Haemorrhoidectomy

HALO & THD for haemorrhoids

Anal fistula treatment

Anal fissure treatment

Rectal prolapse surgery including laparoscopic rectopexy

Pilonidal sinus surgery