D B Ghosh Breast Surgeon
Royal Free Hampstead · Harley Street · Marylebone
Breast Surgeon in North London
North London patients are seen by the consultant who will carry out the operation. Mr Debashis Ghosh is a breast and oncoplastic surgeon in the private breast unit at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, and he also assesses patients on Harley Street. Surgery takes place at The London Clinic.
Consultant-led breast care for patients across north London, from first assessment through to follow-up
Breast Surgery Services
What can we help you with?Not sure which one you need? You do not have to decide before booking.
You will see the same consultant at every stage, from first assessment to surgery.
Private appointments are available without a GP referral.
North London breast care
Your Surgeon Is Part of the Royal Free Breast Unit
Mr Debashis Ghosh is a consultant breast surgeon in north London, working from the private breast unit at the Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, Hampstead. He holds dual European Board certification in breast surgery and surgical oncology, and he performs the operations himself.
Which breast unit does the surgeon work in?
Who plans the operation?
Who is in theatre on the day?
North London on a search result usually describes the hospital, not the surgeon. The unit a surgeon works within is the thing worth checking.
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust runs its breast service across three hospitals: the Royal Free in Hampstead, Barnet and Chase Farm. Between them the department has eight consultant breast surgeons and six breast radiology consultants. Mr Ghosh is named among the consultant breast surgeons of the Royal Free private breast unit, and he was previously Clinical Lead for Breast Services at the trust.
126 Verified Reviews, Rated 4.96 on Doctify
Doctify checks each review against a real appointment, so the score cannot be bought or edited. Fifty-three of those reviews come from patients treated for breast cancer. Google reviews for the clinic appear below.
He was kind, caring, and deeply compassionate, always taking the time to explain everything clearly and reassure us when we needed it most. Every promise he made, he kept and more than that, he exceeded every expectation we had.
When hope felt fragile, Mr Ghosh gave it back to us. His calm presence, humility, and genuine dedication to his patients are truly remarkable. He is an incredible surgeon and an even more incredible human being, and we will always be profoundly grateful for the care he gave Mum and our family.
I initially had a mastectomy, and my surgery was successful. 3 years later, and I had a delayed LD Flap reconstruction and I could not be happier with the results. Dr Ghosh is very skilled at his work this definitely shows with the final outcome.
Dr Ghosh has a caring nature is very knowledgeable, at all times professional, takes pride in his job, has high standards and it definately shows. He has cared for me and made me feel at ease. No questions went unanswered and I felt supported in my choices at all times.
I felt genuinely cared for during all my visits and procedures and could not ask for a better Surgeon. I feel really lucky to have had Dr Ghosh and I cannot thank him enough, he is an excellent Dr!
Consultant continuity
The Same Surgeon Sees You and Operates on You
Patients often ask whether the person at the first appointment will be the person holding the instruments. It is a reasonable question to put to any consultant breast surgeon in north London, and worth asking early.
Consultant continuity Who Leads Your Care?
Your consultation, your surgical plan and your operation are led by Mr Ghosh personally. The same consultant reviews your imaging, explains the options and carries out the procedure.
NHS and private pathways Private and NHS Patients at the Royal Free
Both private and NHS patients are seen. What surprises people is that the two pathways usually share a multidisciplinary team meeting, so the radiologists, pathologists and oncologists reviewing your case are often the same people either way. Private patients can book directly, without a GP referral.
Where you are seen
Assessment in Hampstead, Surgery at The London Clinic
Assessment and surgery happen in different buildings, and it helps to know both before you agree to anything. A north London breast surgeon may consult at one hospital and operate at another. Here, you are seen at the Royal Free in Hampstead or at the Rapid Diagnostic Centre on Harley Street, and surgery takes place at The London Clinic in Marylebone.
The Harley Street site has digital mammography, high-resolution ultrasound and ultrasound-guided biopsy in the same building, which is what makes triple assessment possible in one visit. Triple assessment is the UK standard for checking a breast concern: examination, breast imaging, and a tissue sample where one is needed. You can read how imaging and biopsy in a single visit works on our one stop clinic page.
A question that comes up often is whether the scans travel between our sites. They do, and Mr Ghosh reviews them himself rather than sending you for a repeat. If Marylebone is easier for you than Hampstead, our Harley Street clinic covers the same care, and all three London consulting sites are listed together.
Clinical locations
Royal Free Hospital
Pond Street, Hampstead, London NW3 2QG
Consultation, north London
Rapid Diagnostic Centre
146 Harley Street, London W1G 7LD
Consultation, imaging and biopsy
The London Clinic
20 Devonshire Place, Marylebone, London W1
Surgery
D B Ghosh Breast Surgeon
146 Harley Street, London W1G 7LD
Operations performed
The Five Operations Performed Most Often Here
Breast-conserving surgery
Removes the tumour with a margin of healthy tissue around it and keeps the rest of the breast. Radiotherapy usually follows.
Therapeutic mammoplasty
Cancer removal and breast reshaping in one operation. This is what an oncoplastic breast surgeon does, and it suits patients with larger breasts particularly well, because the reshaping works with tissue that is already there.
Mastectomy
Simple, skin-sparing and nipple-sparing techniques, on one side or both. The sparing variants are what allow reconstruction to be carried out at the same operation.
How the mastectomy types differSentinel lymph node biopsy
Checks whether cancer has reached the lymph nodes. OSNA, or one-step nucleic acid amplification, tests the node during the operation itself, so in many cases the result is known before you wake and a second admission is avoided.
Chest wall perforator flaps
A reconstructive technique that uses tissue from the chest wall, so no implant or abdominal flap is needed. Mr Ghosh is also involved in LYMPHA, the Lymphatic Microsurgical Preventive Healing Approach, which aims to reduce the risk of lymphoedema after lymph node surgery.
Reconstruction can be discussed at the same time as your cancer surgery, or years later. There is no deadline on that decision. Reconstruction timing and options sets out what is available.
Credentials explained
Dual Certified in Breast Surgery and Surgical Oncology
Letters after a surgeon's name are hard to read if you have never had reason to. Here is what these ones mean in practice.
FEBS stands for Fellow of the European Board of Surgery, awarded after a formal examination. Mr Ghosh holds it in breast surgery and in surgical oncology, which means two separate examinations rather than one. Most breast surgeons certify in one or the other.
His GMC number is 4657664, and you can look it up on the public GMC register to confirm he is licensed to practise. He is separately listed as a Board Certified Cosmetic Breast Surgeon by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He also advises NICE, the body that sets clinical standards for the NHS, as an expert in breast surgery.
Professional memberships and accreditation
Independent second opinion
A Second Opinion Is a Normal Part of Cancer Care
Doctors ask colleagues for a view on difficult cases every week. Any surgeon expects the request.
A second opinion from a breast cancer surgeon in north London does not commit you to anything. Keep the tests and treatment you already have booked, because a second opinion sits alongside your plan rather than replacing it.
Most patients who ask for one take the review back to their existing team and carry on as before. That is a normal outcome, not a wasted appointment.
Bring your imaging and pathology reports to the appointment. Mr Ghosh will review them and give you an independent view of the options open to you, at the Royal Free in Hampstead, on Harley Street, or by video consultation.
Appointments in Hampstead, on Harley Street, or by video consultation.
How urgent is breast cancer surgery?
Most breast cancers are not emergencies, but they are treated promptly rather than left. Urgent cases are prioritised, and where a change needs assessing quickly, private appointments are often available within a few days. The pace after that depends on what the imaging and pathology show.
How long does it take to go from diagnosis to surgery?
NHS England's Faster Diagnosis Standard sets 28 days from an urgent referral to the point a diagnosis is confirmed or ruled out. Surgery follows once pathology is complete and the case has been discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting, which for most patients means weeks rather than months. The timing also depends on whether further imaging is needed, and whether drug treatment is planned before surgery.
Do I need a GP referral to see a breast surgeon in north London privately?
No. A private breast surgeon in north London can be seen without a referral, so you can book directly. Referrals from GPs, consultants and hospital breast services are also accepted, including urgent suspected cancer referrals.
If I am assessed in Hampstead, does my imaging go with me to surgery?
Yes. Your scans and reports move with you between sites, and Mr Ghosh reviews them himself rather than arranging a repeat. You are not asked to have the same test twice because the operation happens in a different building.
How many breast operations does the surgeon carry out?
Surgical volume is a fair thing to ask, and you do not have to take anyone's word for the answer. Activity data for consultants in private practice in the UK is published by PHIN, the Private Healthcare Information Network, which collects it independently of the surgeons themselves. Mr Ghosh's profile there is public.
What is the difference between a breast surgeon and an oncoplastic breast surgeon?
A breast surgeon removes the cancer. An oncoplastic breast surgeon does that and reshapes the breast in the same operation, with the final shape planned before the first incision rather than dealt with afterwards.
North London consultation
Book a Consultation in Hampstead or Harley Street
The most useful thing you can do before a first appointment is bring what you already have. A scan report, a biopsy result, a letter from your GP. If you have none of those and simply want something looked at, that is equally fine.
To arrange a consultation with a breast surgeon in north London, call the clinic or send a message.
Consultant-led. Private, insured and NHS patients seen. We work with Bupa, AXA and Aviva. No referral needed for private appointments.
Come With Questions, Not Decisions
You do not need to know what you want before the appointment. That is what the appointment is for.
Where imaging and a biopsy are needed in the same visit, appointments run one to two hours. That is long enough to examine, scan and take a sample without sending you away and calling you back.
Appointments at the Royal Free in Hampstead, at the Rapid Diagnostic Centre on Harley Street, or by video consultation. Private patients can book without a GP referral.