Tom Routledge

Tom Routledge is a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon who studied medicine at University of Cambridge and University of Oxford, where he was awarded scholarships in medical science. He completed his surgical training in Cambridge, London and New York before being appointed as a Consultant in Thoracic Surgery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in 2007, where he is Chief of Thoracic Surgery. He is also the senior thoracic surgeon at HCA London Bridge Hospital, where he helps lead the lung cancer multidisciplinary team.

Mr Routledge is internationally recognised for his work in minimally invasive and robotic thoracic surgery. He has been at the forefront of developing robotic techniques, working as an advisor and technology developer with Intuitive Surgical and the da Vinci robotic system. Through this work, he has pioneered techniques that enable the majority of his patients to benefit from highly precise yet gentler surgery, extending the use of robotic approaches across a wide range of thoracic conditions. 

He is regarded as a key opinion leader in robotic thoracic surgery in the UK and across Europe, having developed many of the core techniques used today and trained numerous senior surgeons. His depth of experience is particularly notable in the surgical management of thoracic tumours, both malignant and benign.

A significant recent advance in his practice is the introduction of surgery using the da Vinci SP (Single Port) robotic platform, currently unique in the UK to HCA London Bridge Hospital and Mr Routledge’s practice. This approach allows complex thoracic surgery to be performed through a single incision of approximately 3 cm beneath the rib cage, rather than multiple incisions between the ribs. The result is a marked reduction in post-operative discomfort and the potential for a much faster return to normal physical activity, representing a major step forward in patient-centred surgical innovation.

Mr Routledge’s clinical practice includes the surgical treatment of tumours of the lung, thymus, mediastinum and chest wall; pulmonary lobectomy and segmentectomy; multidisciplinary lung cancer care; robotic sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis; robotic first rib resection for thoracic outlet syndrome; pneumothorax surgery; advanced surgical repair of chest wall and rib cage injuries; and robotic surgery for thoracic endometriosis.