Simon Butler-Manuel is a British Consultant Gynaecologist who specializes in Gynaecological Surgery for cancer and complex benign disease. Within the profession, he is one of the most renowned minimal access gynaecological surgeons in the UK, with an international reputation in oncology and minimal access surgery. Simon is a very experienced laparoscopic surgeon, and was an early adopter of Da Vinci robotic surgery, and has pioneered adoption of this in the UK. He is also an experienced colposcopist, and has a particular interest in surgery for cervical cancer. 

Background

Originally from Cheshire, Simon trained at St Thomas Hospital Medical School in London, where he was President of the Student’s Union, and at Queen Charlotte’s as a junior doctor. He gained considerable experience in both Obstetrics & Gynaecology and allied surgical specialties, gaining his FRCS before pursuing his chosen career path in gynaecological surgery and oncology. He was a pupil of Professor Christopher Sutton, a pioneer in laparoscopic gynaecological surgery, and has a career long interest in minimal access surgery for endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and pelvic adhesions. 

Simon undertook a research post between St George’s and the Hammersmith Hospitals, which led to his MD thesis on the patho-physiology of side-effects following radical surgery for cervical cancer. He subsequently undertook a Macmillan funded oncology fellowship in Southampton and Portsmouth before taking up the opportunity to be the first Consultant in Gynaecological Oncology at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford, helping to establish the new Gynaecological Cancer Centre there. Guildford is now recognised as one of the leading and progressive centres for Gynaecological cancer care and robotic surgery in the UK. Simon receives many tertiary referrals both within the NHS and private healthcare systems from other Consultants and centres around the country.

Training and Teaching 

Simon is an acclaimed surgical teacher and trainer and has run many courses on laparoscopic hysterectomy, ovarian cancer surgery, robotic hysterectomy and other surgical techniques in both the UK and abroad. His unit at the Royal Surrey in Guildford is the only centre in the British Isles to be recognised as an ‘Epicentre for Training’ by Intuitive Surgery, the manufacturers of the Da Vinci robotic system, with Simon the Director. Simon is regularly invited to speak or teach on professional courses, meetings and at conferences. Simon is the RCOG Gynaecological Oncology Subspecialty Training Programme Supervisor in Guildford and is the current RCOG Oncology representative.

Research Interests

Simon has a broad clinical and translational research background and has collaborated with numerous doctors and scientists on different projects in Gynaecological cancer research, with many peer-reviewed publications. However, Simon himself is very much a people’s person, and a clinician, and so his own chosen research projects have been primarily clinical and surgical. Currently he is supervising an MD thesis project with one of his trainees on the feasibility of robotic surgery for advanced stage ovarian cancer at the University of Surrey and the Royal Surrey Hospital. 

Robotic Experience in Guildford

The Gynae-oncology team at the Royal Surrey Hospital was the first Gynaecology team to adopt Da Vinci robotic surgery into mainstream clinical practice in the UK in late 2009 and all four Consultants in Guildford are trained and experienced in robotic surgery. Simon even helped to raise public funding towards purchase of the first Da Vinci S robot at Guildford through the charity GRACE, of which Simon is the founder and Chairman. 

Simon has been central to adoption and implementation of robotic surgery in Gynaecology and other surgical disciplines at The Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford, which is now the largest centre for robotic surgery in the NHS, with three Da Vinci systems in clinical use at present and a fourth system available for training purposes. 

Robotic Surgery at London Bridge Hospital

Simon is excited about returning to work in London to establish and develop the robotic gynaecological surgery service at London Bridge Hospital, and about the prospect of many more women in the London area benefitting from the greatly enhanced recovery offered by robotic surgery. And this is not just for cancer, but also for benign gynaecological conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis, which sadly are still so often unnecessarily treated by traditional open surgery in Britain.

Diseases, Medical Tests and Treatments

• Colposcopy
• Robotic Laparoscopic surgery
• Robotic hysterectomy
• Endometriosis
• Gynaecological cancer
• Menopause
• Post menopausal problems
• Pelvic masses
• Colposcopy
• Hysterectomy surgery
• Hysteroscopy procedure
• Laparoscopy investigation and treatment

Investigation and treatment of all gynaecological cancers, Robotic surgery, Laparoscopic surgery, Heavy and irregular periods, endometriosis, ovarian cysts/masses, cervical cancer screening and treatment, fertility sparing surgery, vulval disorders, genetic gynaecological cancers, robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy.