[2025] EWHC 2025 (KB)

Professor Phillips retired in November 2017 having been a Consultant General Surgeon since 1987. Of relevance, he was appointed the Clinical Director for St Mark’s Hospital for Intestinal Diseases in 2004 (the National Bowel Hospital), taking on additional responsibilities for Gastroenterology, Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery and Emergency Surgery for North West London Hospitals NHS Trust in 2010. In June 2000 he was made Honorary Professor of Colorectal Surgery by Imperial College London, a post which was made substantive from 2007. After his retirement in 2017 he continued with his Honorary contract. He is the author of 9 recent textbooks in colorectal surgery and has contributed to 300 original articles and 59 book chapters. The Joint Statement lists Professor Phillips’ contribution to the literature on haemorrhoids and their treatment including haemorrhoidectomy. Twelve publications are listed which include publications on haemorrhoids, including diagnosis and treatment, haemorrhoidectomy and evidence-based practice.

Professor Phillips said that up to retirement he was a full-time colorectal surgeon at the National Bowel Hospital where he undertook a combination of complex and anorectal work. He also ran several clinical trials relating to haemorrhoids in which he did all the surgery. As the National Bowel Hospital is the specialist centre for bowel issues, the patient cohort differs from a district hospital. In the studies he has done, all surgeons in North West London referred their haemorrhoidectomy patients to him.

I consider therefore that he has extensive experience of diagnosing, grading and treating haemorrhoids and of undertaking haemorrhoidectomies. I found him to be a forthright, straightforward witness who gave direct answers to questions and made concessions where appropriate (as set out in the body of this judgment below). In my judgment his evidence is reliable, objective and unbiased and I therefore consider it appropriate to place considerable reliance on it. I prefer his evidence in all respects to the evidence of Mr Thompson save where he and Mr Thompson agree.