Publish date: 8 February 2022
New investment in surgical technology by Northumbria Healthcare
Ultra-modern robotic surgery has arrived in Northumberland and North Tyneside for the very first time with Northumbria Healthcare investing more than £3.7m in these exciting new services.
Northumbria Healthcare 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.
“It will also help increase the number of people we are able to treat and provide a wide range of benefits to both patients and NHS staff.”
Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “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.
“This will enable our surgeons to use the latest technology to provide even faster, better and safer operations to our patients. This investment comes on top of the recent £5.5m revamp of our six operating theatres in Wansbeck that is set to improve patient care and experience even further.
“This programme is a significant upgrade of all our theatre equipment and reflects the ambition and determination of Northumbria to provide local people with world class services.”
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.
Media contact
Ross Wigham, deputy director of communications, Northumbria Healthcare
0191 203 1664 or Ross.