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 Surgeon at Sunderland Royal Hospital. He provides private practice surgery at Spire Washington Hospital.

Mr Balupuri trained in Hepatopancreatobiliary, Laparoscopic Bariatric surgery and anti reflux surgery.
At Spire Washington Hospital, Mr Balupuri performs Laparoscopic Gastric band insertion, Gastric bypass surgery, Gastric sleeve resections and Gastric balloon insertion for surgical management of Obesity.

Mr Balupuri's other interests include Pancreato-biliary surgery and Laparoscopic anti reflux surgery.

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

Mr Balupuri is also a commissioned officer in the Territorial Army.

Mr Kamal Mahawar is a Consultant General Surgeon at Sunderland Royal Hospital. He provides private practice surgery at Spire Washington Hospital.

Mr Mahawar has had a surgical training career spanning more than 14 years in some of the finest institutions in the world covering a wide variety of general surgical procedures.  Mr Mahawar is the first trainee in Northern Deanery to have undergone a formal structured training in bariatric (weight-loss) surgery, including two years with the Bariatric Unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital and six months with North Tyneside General Hospital Unit.
At Spire Washington Hospital, Mr Mahawar performs Laparoscopic Gastric band insertion, Gastric bypass surgery, Gastric sleeve resections and Gastric balloon insertion for surgical management of Obesity.

Mr Mahawar also carries out laparoscopic gall bladder surgery, laparoscopic hernia repair, laparoscopic anti reflux surgery and a variety of other surgical and endoscopic procedures.

Louise McCabe is our specialist bariatric (weight loss nurse).  She has been a qualified nurse since 2003, and has worked at Spire Washington Hospital's theatre department since 2006.

Louise became interested in weight loss surgery as an extension of her ASP (Advanced Scrub Practitioner) role, where she regularly assists surgeons during operations.  She has been the specialist bariatric nurse at Spire Washington Hospital since 2010.

As part of her role as our specialist nurse, Louise regularly attends our monthly weight loss surgery support group, and is present throughout the whole patient journey, from initial consultation to final discharge.

• Your BMI explained
• Gastric Band
• Gastric Bypass

• Gastric Balloon
• Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Weight loss surgery care pathway