Reviews
I felt totally safe in the care of Mr Byrne from the pre op appointment to the post op care. He has a lovely calm manner and a willingness to answer my queries, I did not feel anxious knowing he would be taking care of me. I understand he has many patients and is very busy, but when talking to him he made me feel he had time for me and not that he was not thinking about the other 100 things I expect he had to do. I cannot believe how well I now feel and it is thanks to Mr Byrne and his skills as a surgeon.
Mr Byrne was empathetic and listened well. He was clear about procedure, risks and outcomes. Everything went well so couldn't fault him.
Mr Byrne was very kind, considerate and empathetic. I really felt that he listen to my concerns and long history of problems with the hernia. He examined me carefully and was able to identify two hernias that the NHS had completely missed on more than one occasion. He gave a thorough explanation of the procedure needed. The day after the surgery he checked on me and offered to write a letter to my insurance company regarding the urgent nature of the surgery because we'd had to cancel an expensive holiday. I wasn't charged for this. At the six week follow up we discussed a hard lump which had appeared in my groin. The day after Mr Byrne rang me at home. He had obviously been giving it some thought and decided it would be prudent to have an Ultrasound scan, to establish what exactly the lump was. He arranged this through the NHS. A few days after the scan he rang me at home again with the reassuring result that no further action was needed. All of this shows just how thoughtful and thorough he is. There was no extra charge to us at all and I felt that I had the most personal service. I think it was exceptional value for money and after 3 years with hernias, I finally feel that I can move on and get my life back to normal. I'm immensely grateful to Mr Byrne. An excellent surgeon and gentleman I would totally recommend.
Mr Byrne had a very nice manner. He went through everything in great detail at my first consultation and gave me a clear explanation of the risks of both having and not having surgery. I left the hospital much more confident about having an operation to remove my gall bladder. I had been on the NHS waiting list but was unhappy about the prospect of a long wait for surgery as I was feeling quite unwell and struggling with severe episodes of pain.
When I had the surgery I felt cared for and confident that Mr Byrne would take good care of me. He came in the morning after the operation to see how I was feeling and I felt he genuinely cared about my well-being. I felt reassured also about potential after-care if I needed it from the Spire. Fortunately after keyhole surgery my wounds healed well, even though I am in my seventies, and my recovery has been extremely good with no complications at all. I would choose Mr Byrne again for any gastrointestinal problems and would recommend him with absolutely no hesitation.
Profile
I am a General and Upper GI Surgeon in Bristol, having started my NHS consultant post in 2020. I studied medicine at the University of Cambridge, and have undertaken clinical training in Southampton, London and Bristol regions. I completed additional sub-specialist training in oesophago-gastric cancer surgery at St Thomas' Hospital in London, one of the highest volume units in the country. I enjoy combining my clinical work with a strong academic interest, obtaining a PhD from Imperial College London in 2016, examining high performance in surgery at Centre for Patient Safety and Service Quality. I am passionate about contributing to ongoing research to improve patient experience and outcomes, particularly in the upper GI field.
I provide laparoscopic (key-hole) surgery for hernias and gallbladder disease, and specialise in laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques to manage oesophageal and gastric conditions such as reflux or achalasia. I also work in the oesophago-gastric team at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, the regional centre for oesophageal and gastric cancer, where we provide all forms of surgical and endoscopic treatment for early and more advanced forms of cancer.
I have performed over 300 hernia repairs using laparoscopic and open techniques I attended the Leicester Hernia Surgery Course, run by Professor David Lloyd, and prefer to use the TAPP approach to laparoscopic groin hernia repair. I have also performed over 300 cholecystectomies and over 1000 diagnostic and therapeutic upper GI endoscopies.
I am a GI and endoscopy governance lead at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. I am also co-lead for the local cholecystectomy quality improvement program, part of a national Royal College of Surgeons initiative. I am passionate about high quality information provision, and have written and extensively re-designed the website for our clinical team at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. I have also established a day case anti-reflux surgery pathway to improve access to surgery by reducing the need for an inpatient stay.