Personal Profile
Mr John Stebbing focuses on the assessment and treatment of patients with colorectal symptoms and disease. His scope of practice ranges from the assessment of patients with common symptoms such as rectal bleeding and change in bowel habit, to treatment for common “proctology” conditions, such as piles, anal fissure and anal fistula. He has a specialist interest and particular expertise in colonoscopy, bowel cancer screening, management of inflammatory bowel disease and functional bowel problems (IBS, incontinence, constipation and prolapse disorders). He offers operative treatment for hernia and “lumps and bumps”.
Training and Appointment
Mr Stebbing studied medicine at St John’s College, Cambridge and Guy’s Hospital in London and qualified with a Distinction in Surgery in 1987. His surgical career began as an SHO in Guildford and his higher surgical training was in the South West Thames Region, Oxford, Gloucester and Bristol. In 1994 he was awarded a prestigious MRC Clinical Training Fellowship to pursue a period of research at Oxford. His work on nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter in the gut was recognised by his appointment as a Hunterian Professor (Royal College of Surgeons of England) and award of the John of Arderne Medal (Royal Society of Medicine) in 1996.
He was appointed as a Consultant Surgeon in 1999 and, during his early consultant career, additional roles focused on training and education. He subsequently moved into more clinical managerial roles, serving as Clinical Director of General Surgery (2008-12), local MDT lead (2001-10) and Cancer Network Tumour Group Chair (2006-10).
More recently Mr Stebbing’s professional focus has been in bowel cancer screening and quality in endoscopy. From 2011 to 2017, he was Chair of the Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy - the body which awards accreditation for endoscopy services across the UK and supports training for the endoscopists of the future.
Current Practice
As well as his clinical practice, Mr Stebbing holds a number of local, regional and national roles. Locally, he is currently Chief of Service of the Division of Surgery at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. Regionally, he is Clinical Director of the Surrey Bowel Cancer Screening Centre which covers a population of 1.6 million and he is Professional Clinical Advisor to the screening quality assurance service (SQAS) in the South East of England. Nationally, he has just been appointed as Chair of the national Bowel Screening Advisory Committee and he also contributes as a member of the NHSE Colorectal Clinical Expert Group, the Early Detection and Screening Task Force. He sits on the Board of Trustees of Bowel Cancer UK.
Outside medicine, as a former oarsman for Cambridge University Mens’ Lightweight Rowing Club, he is a member of Leander Club and the Stewards Enclosure at Henley Royal Regatta. He is a member of the Court of Assistants for the Salters’ Livery Company in London and serves on the Board of the Salters’ Institute and the Livery Wine Committee.
