Fourth surgical robot arrives at Royal Surrey | News

A new robot has arrived at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust in a bid to help deal with an increase in demand for surgery.

The new DaVinci robot is the fourth to be commissioned at the Trust, making it one of the best resourced robotic centres in the UK and helping to reduce waiting lists for surgical procedures.

The robotic platform offers 10 times magnified 3D vision and will enable surgeons to carry out operations which are more precise, with less blood loss, minimally invasive and less painful which will result in a quicker recovery time for patients.

It can enable surgery to be carried out on more than 100 extra patients a year initially, which will increase exponentially once the appropriate theatre space and manpower is made available when the new Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre opens on the Royal Surrey County Hospital site. The robot will eventually be part of the new centre but its delivery was brought forward to help a higher number of patients receive minimally invasive surgery more quickly.  

One clinician with extensive experience in using robots is Mr Krishna Patil, Consultant Urologist. Mr Patil was involved in making use of the very first robot at Royal Surrey in 2012 after completing a robotic fellowship in Detroit.

Commenting on the arrival of the new robot, Mr Patil said: “The need for surgery with minimally invasive technology using a robot has increased.

“Surgeons are using it in a number of different surgical specialties at Royal Surrey and it will make a difference to a significant number of patients on our waiting lists. 

“Certainly in urology, we have a growing number of patients waiting for prostate cancer operations and the recent addition of a fourth robot will help to address this more quickly.”

Overall at Royal Surrey, there are seven experienced robotic surgeons within urology and many more in other specialities across the Trust. 

Ross Dunworth, Deputy Chief Executive, said: “We are really excited to acquire the new robot at Royal Surrey, which will make a positive difference to our patients and enable more of our clinicians to expand their skill set and train the next generation in this growing field.  

“This is all part of our drive and mission to be at the forefront of medical advances and technology; particularly as we are the fourth biggest cancer centre in England and carry out a high number of complex cancer surgeries. 

“Work is now underway in the new Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre and when complete this will be a major new development. With our exceptionally skilled surgical and cancer teams and four robots at our disposal we will be well placed to continue providing outstanding care to patients across the South East and beyond.”