Personal Profile

Mr Thomas qualified MB BS from Kings College Hospital, London in 1980.  Subsequently he obtained the FRCS(Edinburgh) in l984, FRCS(England) in 1986 and FRCS(Orth) in 1993. After completing general surgical training in 1984 he embarked on specialist orthopaedic training initially in the University of Cape Town, South Africa returning to England in 1986. Mr Thomas then completed Registrar and Senior Registrar rotations at Charing Cross and St Marys hospitals in London which involved Senior Registrar posts in shoulder surgery at Reading and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Stanmore. 

He was appointed Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon to Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Berkshire in 1994 with an interest in shoulder and elbow surgery. As the first consultant to be appointed with this interest in East Berkshire, he then established and developed this service both within the NHS and the private sector. This surgery involves both arthroscopic (keyhole surgery) and open procedures such as shoulder and elbow joint replacement working with specialist anaesthetists (performing specialised regional nerve blockade for post-operative pain relief) and physiotherapists (specialising in this area to give the best post-operative rehabilitation). He also served as clinical director of his NHS department for 7 years, over twice the normal time spent in this role.

From 2008 Mr Thomas was elected to serve in various roles on the council and the Research Committee of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS). 

He was elected to be President of BESS from 2015-17 and continued to sit on council as Past President 2017-21.  During his time on council he was actively involved in the many of the activities of the society in both education and research including national research projects. He contributed to the writing of patient care pathways produced by the British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS) and the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) to advise healthcare professionals treating shoulder and elbow conditions. 

He has also served as the UK Delegate to the European Shoulder and Elbow society (SECEC) 2015-17 and sat on the Medical Advisory Committee of the National Joint Registry (NJR) 2013-17. ). 
Since 2011 he was an associate editor of Shoulder and Elbow, the official journal of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS) until 2022 when he was appointed Editor in Chief.

Mr Thomas has published a number of articles and book chapters on shoulder and elbow problems He has also been invited to lecture and teach on shoulder and elbow surgery to many countries aroun the world and was a visiting surgeon to a hospital in Cairo, Egypt.  

Clinical Interests

• Frozen shoulder
• Rotator cuff / impingement
• Shoulder Arthritis
• Tennis/ Golfers elbow
• Ulnar Neuritis
• Elbow arthritis
• Shoulder and elbow injury/fracture

Professional Memberships

• British Elbow and Shoulder Society
• British Orthopaedic Association
• European Shoulder and Elbow Society
• Royal College of Surgeons (England)

Current NHS and /or University Posts

• Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedics, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust