General Surgery

General Surgery Consultant Team

• Colorectal:
  • Mr Nicholas West
  • Mr Ashish Gupta
  • Mr Ashraf Raja
  • Mr Nigel Day
  • Mr Tou Pin Chang
  • Mr Nikhil Ladwa
• Upper GI:
  • Mr Dhiren Nehra
  • Mr Trystan Lewis
  • Ms Lavanya Varatharajan
  • Mr Abdulazeez Bello
• Upper GI and Endocrine:
  • Mr Karim Jamal (clinical lead)
  • Ms Caroline Baillie

 

Service Manager for General Surgery and Urology

• Rochelle McDonald

Deputy general manager for Surgery

• Kate Jardine

General manager for Surgery and Endoscopy

• Charlotte Druce

Contact details

• General Surgery POD
  • 01372 735137
  • sthegh.generalsurgery@nhs.net
• Outpatient Booking Centre (both sites)
  • 020 8296 2968

 

Upper GI Surgeons

Mr Dhiren Nehra has been a surgeon at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals since 1999. He specialises in Laparoscopic General and Upper GI Surgery including cholecystectomies, hernia repairs and anti-reflux surgery. Mr Nehra has specialist expertise reflux management and performs Upper GI endoscopy and laparoscopic placement of the LINX anti-reflux implant. He has a keen interest in research relating to reflux as well as being the department’s audit lead.

Mr Trystan Lewis has been a surgeon at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals since 2020. He specialises in Laparoscopic General and Upper GI Surgery including cholecystectomies, laparoscopic and open hernia repairs and complex abdominal wall reconstructions. Mr Lewis is the surgical tutor for the trust and is the lead for education and training in the general surgery department.

Mr Karim Jamal is a General, Upper GI and Endocrine Surgeon who has been a consultant at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals since 2017. He specialises in surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands.  Mr Jamal performs laparoscopic cholecystectomies as well as laparoscopic and open hernia repairs and complex abdominal wall reconstructions. He is clinical lead for general surgery.

Miss Lavanya Varatharajan has been a consultant at Epsom and St Helier Hospital since 2022. She is a General and Laparoscopic Upper GI Surgeon who performs gall bladder, hernia and anti-reflux surgery at the trust. She also has a specialist Bariatric (weight management) NHS Practice at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey.

Mr Abudalazeez Bello has been a consultant at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals since 2022. He specialises in General Surgery including  in operations across Upper GI and Colorectal Surgery. Mr Bello performs Upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy as well as surgery on the gall bladder, hernias (laparoscopic and open), complex abdominal wall reconstructions and minor colorectal procedures.

Ms Caroline Baillie is a General, Upper GI and Endocrine surgeon who has been in the department since 2024. She specialises in thyroid and parathyroid surgery as well as performing laparoscopic cholecystectomies, laparoscopic and open hernia repairs and complex abdominal wall reconstructions.

What to expect from your surgery

You will have seen one of the consultant surgeons or a member of their team in an outpatients clinic appointment to discuss and put you on the waiting list for surgery. If your operation is planned as a day-case procedure then you will have a pre-operative assessment done by a nurse on a day prior to your procedure. During this you may have some minor investigations, such as observations, bloods, ECG and swabs. You will be given information about your surgery and about any medications you need to stop prior to surgery (please bring with you an up-to-date copy of your prescription), you will also have the opportunity to ask any questions you want to.

You will then come in to hospital on the day of your operation. In the morning you will see someone from the nursing team, the surgical team and the anaesthetic team and they will ask you questions, go through with you a consent form and prepare you for your operation. For the majority of procedures, you will be in hospital for most of the day. Following a period of observation after your surgery, you will be discharged home as long as you are feeling well and certain safety criteria are met. In order to have a discharge on the same day, you must have someone to collect you and a competent adult to stay with you for the first 24 hours following your operation. If this is not possible to arrange then you will need to stay overnight in hospital for observation.

If your surgery is under a general anaesthetic then you will be required to be nil by mouth. This means you cannot have food for 6 hours before your admission but you can continue to drink clear fluids such as water/squash/black coffee until 2 hours before you are due to come in.

 

Post operative advice

Wound advice

Most people will not have any stitches that require removal as most sutures that are used are dissolvable. If you need any removing then you will get instructions about how to arrange this and the timing in your discharge summary. The majority of stitches will not be visible as they are usually placed just below the skin surface. Often wounds are covered by surgical glue which seals the wound and means that you can shower whenever you want to after surgery. We advise to avoid soaking in a bath or swimming for 2 weeks following your surgery. The glue becomes crusty and will peel away after the first few days but the wound will be sealed by this stage so does not require any dressing.

 

Driving advice

You are not safe to drive following surgery until you are pain free and safe to do an emergency stop if you needed to. You need to be fully recovered from your surgery before doing any driving and you should inform your insurance company. No-one should drive within 48 hours of a general anaesthetic, whatever the procedure, and most people will require a period of at least 10 days to 2 weeks to fully recover after keyhole or open general surgical procedures.

 

Work advice

Following surgery and an anaesthetic most people will require time off work. The length of time to recover depends on the procedure and the job you do. Most people having day case surgery such as laparoscopic surgery or a hernia repair are likely to need about 2 weeks off work and we can provide a sick note for you to give to your employer. If you require one, just ask the team discharging you and they will give it to you on the day you leave hospital.

 

Pain relief

The amount of discomfort following surgery will depend on several factors including the type of surgery you are having. Many day case procedures will just require paracetamol and ibuprofen (if you are able to take this). We advise you take pain relief fairly regularly for the first few days and then following that, as and when you feel discomfort. Do not take more than the recommended dose on the packet. It is useful for you to get this before your surgery date so you have it ready for when you come home.

 

Other Information

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy

ESTH patient information leaflet

Gallbladder removal - What happens - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

 

Open and laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia

Inguinal hernia repair - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

 

Epigastric/umbilical hernia

Umbilical hernia repair - How it's performed - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

 

Thyroid/parathyroid surgery

Patient Information Leaflet T1 Thyroid operations in adults 2019.doc (baets.org.uk)

Patient Information Leaflet.doc (baets.org.uk)