Mr Andrew de Beaux

I graduated in medicine with Honours from Aberdeen University. My surgical training was mainly in Scotland, with my final year in Adelaide, South Australia. I was appointed Consultant General and Upper GI Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in 2001. I had broad training in General Surgery although my interest focussed on upper gastro-intestinal surgery, in particular diseases of the oesophagus and stomach along with gallstone disease.

During my career to date I have now focussed more on bariatric (weight loss) and hernia/abdominal wall repair. I also hold an NHS contract with Oxford University Hospitals, helping to develop the complex abdominal wall repair practice there. In addition, I have helped younger surgeons develop their complex abdominal wall repair practice in other hospitals in the UK, as well as in Norway, Poland, Ukraine and India. I am part of Operation Hernia, a UK charity undertaking humanitarian surgery trips to Africa to undertake hernia surgery and to train local surgeons, often in regions with scarce doctor and medical infrastructure.

I have an international reputation in hernia surgery and receive referrals, in particular patients with complex incision hernia problems, from all over the UK and, more recently, from Europe. While I am not a plastic surgeon, many of my larger hernia cases involve repair of not only the abdominal muscles, but revision of the scar and the excision of excess skin tissue, similar to an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). I also have an interest in hernia surgery under local anaesthetic (often in people who are not fit for a general anaesthetic for whatever reason but a symptomatic hernia) and non-mesh hernia surgery where appropriate. While I also undertake hernia mesh removal surgery, most of my hernia practice does involve the use of hernia mesh, which I have been undertaking for over 30 years.

I was President of the British Hernia Society (2016-18), having been Education Secretary prior to this). I was a Board member of the European Hernia Society (with a responsibility for social media 2016-20) and then General Secretary of the EHS (2020-25). The remit of these societies is to promote best practice in hernia surgery in the UK and Europe. I was a major driver in both societies in getting greater patient involvement including establishing patient representative committees.

I lecture regularly on hernia surgery at National and International Meetings. I was co-president of the 36th European Hernia Society Annual Congress which was held in Edinburgh in 2014 (a 1,000 international delegate conference), and then Co-Vice President of the 2024 EHS Annual Congress in Prague, 2024. I am the UK representative on a number of European Hernia Society Working Groups. I also organised the second British Hernia Society Congress in Edinburgh in 2006 and the eighth Congress in 2018.

I was a member of HerniaSurge writing the First World Inguinal Hernia Guidelines published in 2018 and then the updated guidelines in 2024. I have contributed to a number of other EHS guideIines and position documents. I am a regular member of Faculty on EHS training courses.

I also have an interest in weight loss surgery. I began my training in laparoscopic Bariatric or weight loss surgery in 2005 and was one of two surgeons (along with my colleague Mr Bruce Tulloh) who established a Bariatric Surgery Service in Edinburgh for both the NHS and private sector. A third surgeon, Mr Peter Lamb has joined our surgical team. We operated on our first patient in 2007. Our weight loss surgery program has always had two main aims, to be SAFE and SUCCESSFUL for our patients. Our strong team including Lorna (specialist nurse), Fred (dietitian), Carol (psychologist), Dilip (radiologist) and several anaesthetists work and train hard with these two aims as our focus. I have served on Scottish Government committees advising the national planning forum on weight loss management planning.

I represented the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh on SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) Council and also as a member of the SIGN Strategy Group from 2008 to 2024. I have been on the Editorial Group for a number of recent guidelines including Guideline 115, The Management of Obesity. I am a Faculty member of the RCSEd NOTSS (non-operative technical surgical skills) course.

I have published many scientific papers on hernia, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, gallstones and bariatric surgery. I have also written a number of book chapters in surgical textbooks. I referee scientific papers submitted for publication to a number of Medical Journals. I am a member of the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Surgery, the World Journal of Surgery, and the Journal of Abdominal Wall Surgery. I was an Associate Editor of Obesity Surgery from 2018-24.

@herniasurgeons @WLsurgscotland @acdebeaux