Mr Timothy J Havard

Tim Havard is a private Consultant General Surgeon at Vale Healthcare - the leading private clinics and private hospital in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Tim specialises in the assessment and management of Upper GI conditions.

Tim Havard has been a Consultant General Surgeon in the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in South Wales since 1999. Born in Cardiff into a very medical family (father, mother, grandfather and uncle) he displayed a lamentable lack of imagination in becoming the third generation to train at the Welsh National School of Medicine, qualifying in 1988. His postgraduate surgical training was completed in South Wales and Southampton. In 1999 he obtained an MD after a period of research into the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori.

General Surgery

Since his appointment he has developed a busy practice in emergency and elective General Surgery. This has included the investigation of abdominal pain, dyspepsia (indigestion) and rectal bleeding. This involves regular sessions in diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. He routinely performs the surgical treatment of a wide range of elective conditions including gallstones, groin and abdominal hernias, haemorrhoids and benign and malignant skin lesions.

Upper Gastro-Intestinal Surgery

Within the broad remit of General Surgery Tim has particular expertise in cancer of the oesophagus and stomach cancer having treated over 630 patients with the condition. Of these 45% of the patients came from within the catchment area of the Royal Glamorgan and 55% of the cases were referred from elsewhere. This disease remains particularly challenging to treat and is the only common cancer that is currently increasing in incidence.

Laparoscopic Surgery

A further particular interest is the treatment of benign Upper GI conditions such as gallstones and reflux (heartburn) by laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery. Gallstones are a particularly frequent cause of abdominal pain and Tim does approximately 100 Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder) operations per year.

Tim is committed to undergraduate and postgraduate training. He is an Honorary Clinical Tutor in the University of Cardiff Medical School and Regional Co-ordinator for Higher Surgical Training in South East Wales. He sits on the all Wales steering group for Upper GI cancer and has been the Honorary Secretary of the Welsh Surgical Society since 2004.