Robotic surgery milestone: Team shares success with community supporters | News

Clinicians and supporters of Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust’s robotic surgery programme gathered this week to share expertise and insights from the journey that’s led to the trust’s 10,000th procedure. The event was an opportunity for the surgery team to share how robots are improving patients’ quality of life and clinical outcomes.

Jennie Price, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Associate Director of Operations for Surgery, said:

“It’s been a great chance to celebrate the successful collaboration so far between the trust, clinicians, our supporters, charities and patients which has enabled us to achieve the 10,000 milestone. We’re very grateful to them all for being here, and for their continued support as we look to the next 10,000 procedures!”

Guests, including Guildford’s MP Zoe Franklin, were able to try out the robots first hand, experiencing the challenges and expertise required to perform the intricate procedures.

The morning session was attended by supporters from the local community, including major fundraiser Colin Simmons from Rotary Godalming Woolsack. Following surgery at Royal Surrey, he became instrumental in the Rotary South ‘Cut Out Cancer’ campaign. Partnering with Royal Surrey Charity, this initiative funds high-tech surgical equipment to improve the care and treatment of Royal Surrey cancer patients. Colin says the care he received at the trust was exemplary and was his motivation to give back. He said:

“We’ve raised £150,000 in this campaign and we work closely with the leaders at Royal Surrey to hear the priorities that will allow more accurate and complex surgeries to take place, meaning faster recovery times and improved patient experience. Events like this enable us to gain more knowledge about what’s being done by the teams so we can explain to our fundraisers.”

During the afternoon, Royal Surrey surgery experts held masterclasses for colleagues, sharing their experience and learning.

Royal Surrey’s first robotic-assisted procedure was a hysterectomy on 12 November 2009, and its success paved the way for other departments to adopt robotic-assisted surgery. The trust now performs robotic-assisted surgery across seven different specialties including urology, gynaecology, colorectal, and hepatobiliary.

The opening of the new Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre at the trust’s Guildford site next year will enable even more patients to benefit from this world-leading technology and the expert surgical teams at Royal Surrey.