Mr Thomas is a Consultant General, Laparoscopic, Complex Hernia and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon at Croydon University Hospital. He specialises in managing abdominal wall and groin hernias of all types as well as very complex, recurrent hernias with a particular interest in abdominal wall reconstruction. He also has an interest in the surgical management of gallstones and acid reflux and hiatus hernias.

He is the lead upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgeon at Croydon University Hospital, having been appointed there in 2015, and is general surgery service lead and is dedicated to developing the service and to improving standards.

He leads a regional MDT for complicated abdominal wall reconstruction and challenging hernia patients, receiving referrals from throughout the South East and has established the service as one of the leading centres in the London and the South East region.

Additionally, he developed the surgical anti-reflux surgical service at Croydon, performing a high volume of conventional anti-reflux cases and LINX procedures. Furthermore he has an interest in “keyhole” surgery for managing symptomatic gallstones electively and as an emergency.

He is a qualified JAG accredited upper GI endoscopist and scopes regularly at Shirley Oaks Hospital.  He sees patients with all types of general surgical emergencies at Shirley Oaks hospital.

Mr Thomas believes that there is no “one size fits all” approach to managing patients with herniae and prefers to tailor his surgical approach to each patient following a detailed discussion of the risks, benefits and expectation of the patients prior to surgery. He is committed to bespoke, shared decision making with his patients to bring about the best outcomes.  This may involve a period of observation, open surgery or keyhole surgery, depending on the joint decision-making tailored for the patient.

Mr Thomas qualified in 2003 and undertook junior doctor training in London and Guildford, obtaining Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2006.

Following further general surgical training and a period of Research at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford he was appointed as a registrar to the prestigious South West London Registrar Training scheme in 2007.

This involved intensive training in Kingston, Croydon, Chichester and three years at the renowned Bariatric and Upper Gastrointestinal unit at St Georges Hospital, London under the mentorship of Professor Marcus Reddy. 
In 2015, he was appointed as Consultant Upper GI and General Surgeon at Croydon University Hospital, and he has developed the service there, supervising the expansion from one to three full time consultants.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, having passed the FRCS examination with a special interest in Upper GI Surgery in 2015 and was appointed to the Specialist Register in 2015 having Completed Specialist Surgical Training in 2015.

Mr Thomas works with an experienced anaesthetist with an emphasis on safe, effective anaesthesia and surgery with a resulting low rate of long hospital stay for keyhole gallbladder and hernia surgery.

Additionally, he maintains records of his cases with a regular audit of results, demonstrating low conversion rates to open surgery, low unplanned admission rates and low complication rates.

Mr Thomas accepts referrals from all major insurers and has a particular interest in managing patients who are self-funding their treatment; he is a firm believer in addressing patient’s expectations and catering investigations and treatment to suit their needs.

Personal Interests

In his spare time he is a single figure handicap golfer and is a keen walker and pub-goer. He enjoys cycling as much as possible, watching sports, particularly Cricket and Rugby, singing in a Welsh language choir, cooking and spending time with his family in South London.

Professional Websites and Patient Feedback

"Was very impressed with Shirley Oaks. I had an inguinal hernia diagnosed and repaired in two weeks! I am a self employed bricklayer therefore needed to be back at work as quickly as possible. Doctor Thomas done a fantastic job and unbeknown to him, also managed to convince me to give up a 40 year smoking habit! Pre assessment nurse Zufilka was very helpful and reassuring me that I'll be back on the scaffolding in no time. I will be sharing my experience at Shirley oaks within the construction industry with high recommendations. Thanks guys"

- Anonymised Patient, via Google

Mr Rhys Thomas | Consultant Surgeon - Croydon Surgeon

Mr Rhys Thomas | General Surgeon in London - Doctify

Research and Publications

• An established abdominal wall multidisciplinary team improves patient care and aids surgical decision making with complex ventral hernia patients. Parker SG, Blake H, Zhao S, van Dellen J, Mohamed S, Albadry W, Akhtar H, Franczak B, Jakkalasaibaba R, Rothnie A, Thomas R. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2024 Jan;106(1):29-35
• Gallstone extraction from a back abscess resulting from spilled gallstones during laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a case report. Mehmood S, Singh S, Igwe C, Obasi CO, Thomas RL. J Surg Case Rep. 2021 Jul 23;2021
• Can Inflammatory Markers Foretell Aetiology and Prolonged Hospitalisation in Acute Pancreatitis?Mathuram Thiyagarajan U, Ponnuswamy A, Thomas R. Cureus. 2021 Jan 7;13(1)
• Predictivity of Biochemical Markers on Aetiology and Length of Hospitalisation in Acute Pancreatitis. Mathuram Thiyagarajan U, Ponnuswamy A, Thomas R. Cureus. 2020 Dec 9;12(12)
• Does music reduce anxiety and discomfort during flexible sigmoidoscopy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Shanmuganandan AP, Siddiqui MRS, Farkas N, Sran K, Thomas R, Mohamed S, Swift RI, Abulafi AM. World J Gastrointest Endosc. 2017 May 16;9(5):228-237.
• Gastric necrosis and perforation in a patient with Asperger's syndrome. Hicks G, D'Souza N, Thomas R, Brar R. BMJ Case Rep. 2017 Sep 27;2017
• Liver metastases from esophageal carcinoma: is there a role for surgical resection? Huddy JR, Thomas RL, Worthington TR, Karanjia ND. Dis Esophagus. 2015 Jul;28(5):483-7.
• A new teaching model for laparoscopic common bile duct exploration: use of porcine aorta. Navarro-Sanchez A, von Roon AC, Thomas RL, Marchington SW, Isla A. Cir Esp. 2014 Dec;92(10):692-3.
• Improving the surgical hot clinic. Hubbard T, Thomas R. BMJ Qual Improv Rep. 2014 Dec 10;3(1)
• The usefulness of P-POSSUM score in patients undergoing elective liver resection for benign disease, metastatic colorectal cancer and non-colorectal cancer. Thomas R, Madani R, Worthington T, Karanjia N. Hepatogastroenterology. 2012 Nov-Dec;59(120):2421-7.
• Liver resection for colorectal cancer metastases involving the caudate lobe. Thomas RL, Lordan JT, Devalia K, Quiney N, Fawcett W, Worthington TR, Karanjia ND. Br J Surg. 2011 Oct;98(10):1476-82.
• Comparison of SHO surgical logbooks a generation apart. November 2009 Bulletin of The Royal College of Surgeons of England 91(10):356-359. R.L. Thomas, Nariman D Karanjia

Press

• The Croydon University Hospital Ventral Hernia Management Protocol; A ‘Getting It Right First Time’ (GIRFT) approach to Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction. Joyner J, Parker S.G, Thomas R, Van Dellen J, Mohamed S, Jakkalasaibaba R, Blake H, Shanmuganandan A, Albadry W, Panascia J, Gray W, Vig S. Submitted to and accepted by “The American Surgeon”
• An Analysis of Anatomical Variation of the Abdominal Wall Strap Muscles: An objective assessment using cross-sectional imaging. Parker S.G, Blake H, Ishak A, Mahrous H, Abdelgelil M, Windsor A, Halligan S, Shanmuganandan A, Jakkalasaibaba R, Thomas R. Submitted to and accepted by “Hernia”

Special Interests

• Upper GI Surgery
• General Surgery
• Emergency Surgery
• Hernia Surgery
• Laparoscopic Surgery
• Gallstones Surgery
• Acid Reflux Surgery
• Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

Other Interests

• Fundoplication
• Keyhole (Laparoscopic) Hernia Repair
• Open Hernia Repair
• Endoscopy
• Appendicectomy
• Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy)
• Laparoscopy
• Lipoma Removal
• Skin Lesion Treatments
• Achalasia Surgery
• Gastroscopy
• Pilonidal Sinus Surgery
• Hernia
• Inguinal Hernia
• Femoral Hernia
• Appendicitis
• Gallstones
• Pancreatitis
• Elective And Emergency General and Upper GI Surgery
• Complex Abdominal Wall Hernia Repair
• Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
• Acute Surgical Management of Emergency Gallstone Patients
• Acute Biliary Surgery
• Anti-Reflux Surgery

• Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
• Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland
• European Hernia Society
• British Hernia Society
• Association of Upper GI Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland