Robotic surgery arrives in Northumberland and North Tyneside hospitals

It follows a £3.7m investment by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

It has installed two DaVinci Xi surgical robots at hospitals in North Tyneside and Cramlington that will enable surgeons to use the best technology for the benefit of patients.

Surgical robots offer some key advantages over conventional surgery and have proved to be less invasive, more consistent and precise with a lower risk for a range of procedures.

By using surgical robots, surgeons can offer much less invasive surgery to more patients, for a wider range of conditions. This means a shorter stay in hospital, with less pain and a faster recovery after their operation.

Surgeons use the 3D vision and special instruments on the surgical robot to have an even greater accuracy of dissection during operations.

In traditional open surgery clinicians operate with handheld instruments through a large incision, but increasingly it’s possible to carry out many operations by making just a few small cuts and then inserting specialist equipment.

Robotic-assisted surgery is much less invasive for patients because it helps surgeons be more accurate and consistent while operating. This technology allows the surgeon to use a special console in the operating theatre that provides an ultra-clear and magnified view while operating tiny instruments that have greater mobility than the human hand with even more precision.

Consultant colorectal surgeon Iain McCallum said: “Our surgical teams are incredibly excited about this new equipment which can really transform many of our services. It helps

make surgery less invasive for patients which reduces the risk of complications and means that people could be back on their feet much faster after treatment.”

Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, added: “This is another fantastic development for local people as we continue to focus on recovering from a difficult two years, and embedding the many innovations that have come from this.”

The investment comes on top of a recent £5.5m revamp of six operating theatres in Wansbeck.

The robotic equipment will be used by the Gynaecology, Upper GI and Colorectal surgical teams.

It’s expected that the trust will complete 100 robotic operations in the first year, 200 in the second and more than 300 by the third.