Spire Washington Hospital Weight-Loss Surgery Team

Mr Small RD, MD, FRCS(Ed), BSc is a Consultant General Surgeon at Sunderland Royal Hospital and Honorary Lecturer at Newcastle University with an interest in gastrointestinal, both in his NHS post and private practice at Spire Washington Hospital. His main surgical repertoire is based on laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery including gastric band and gastric balloon procedures.

Mr Small trained for several years at Ninewells Hospital, one of the leading centres for laparoscopic surgery in the United Kingdom, where he had the privilege to work with Professor Cuschieri.  As a result, he was one of the first consultants in the United Kingdom to go through a formal laparoscopic training course.

Mr Small is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and a member of the British Obesity Surgical Society, Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons, Northumbria Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Training and European Association for Endoscopic Surgery.

Mr Small is an experienced Consultant General Surgeon and is a serving officer in the Royal Navy Reserve having seen service in Iraq.

Miss Maureen Boyle, RD, BSc Nutrition and Dietetics is a Senior Specialist Dietitian at Sunderland Royal Hospital and Spire Washington Hospital with a specialist interest in eating disorders.

Miss Boyle completed her dietetic training in 1982 which included 3 years in Aberdeen and a practical placement at St James Hospital, Leeds. She joined Sunderland Royal Hospital in 1983 and has worked in most areas of dietetics.

Since 1990, Maureen has specialised in the areas of learning disability and mental health. She became involved in weight-loss surgery following the first procedures performed at Sunderland Royal Hospital. Now she has established a dietetic service for assessment, treatment and support for patients undergoing gastric banding procedure.

Miss Boyle is a member of the British Dietetic Association, Dietitians working in Obesity management, British Obesity Surgical Society (Dietitians) and an affiliated member of the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons.

Mr Shlok Balupuri, MB BS, FRCS, MD is a Consultant General Surgeon at Sunderland Royal Hospital. His main surgical interests include hernia repair, upper GI endoscopy, colonscopy, laparascopic cholecystectomy and bile duct exploration.  Other than these Mr Balapuri's partcular interest is obesity surgery including laparoscopic gastric band insertion and gastric bypass surgery.

Mr Balupuri is a member of the Association of Upper GI Surgeons, the Pancreatic Society and the British Medical Association.