The announcement comes just two days after the United Kingdom officially opened the country’s largest robotic-assisted surgery training centre, in the South of England. This unique facility will be a game-changer for training surgical practices. It will be used to deliver cutting-edge training on the da Vinci surgical system, which is increasingly used for keyhole (or minimally invasive) surgeries, including treating oesophageal and gastric cancers.
The da Vinci surgical system is well known for its precision and minimally invasiveness. Its impact has already been tremendous, up and down the UK and Ireland. Having at least 200 of these systems already in surgical use, they have made surgery available to over 300,000 patients. In England, NHS England has similarly ambitious plans, seeking to use robotic assistance in nine in ten keyhole surgeries by 2035.
In his statement, Governor Shapiro voiced his enthusiasm for the new training development. “It is referred to as robotic-assisted surgery but it is very much controlled by an experienced, qualified surgeon who manipulates the instruments using a different part of the machine to allow us to do the surgery,” he stated.
The training centre has attracted participants from throughout Europe, with surgeons from Montpellier, France. Our centre is one of the world’s largest centres for comprehensive endoscopic training including metabolic surgery.
“Today, we’ve been training on metabolic surgery. We’ve got French surgeons visiting from Montpellier.” – Gijs van Boxel
Surgeons from across the region, including surgeons from Reading and Winnersh Triangle, are keen to improve their skills in robotic surgery. This growing number of foreign guests makes it clear that the centre’s contributions to advancing surgical techniques and patient outcomes are widely recognized.
“We’ve got people coming from all over Europe to Reading, to Winnersh Triangle, to help them gain proficiency in robotic surgery. So that’s a super exciting development and something to be proud of,” – Surgeon
The da Vinci system has four prongs that can manipulate surgical tools in a three-dimensional space, giving surgeons greater mobility and increasing accuracy. Its widespread adoption is a significant change in surgical practices, ensuring that patients will have better outcomes from surgery.
“The precision permitted through this system has allowed better outcomes for our patience which is ultimately why we do this,” – Surgeon
