Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) has set great strides in robotic surgery. It has since become the largest provider of multi-specialty robotic procedures in the entire region. The new robotics, imaging and advanced surgical technology gives the surgeon unprecedented precision to treat very complex conditions while giving patients shorter recovery times.
Surgeon Nicholas Penney guiding the control of an advanced robotic surgical system. He controls it from a 3D console tucked into a corner of the operating room. This advanced robot features two mobile, anthropomorphic arms. Penney most recently enslaves them with elaborate specialized controls that simply cut out his hand movements to work at a smaller size and greater precision.
Prior to broadening their robotic program, the hospital was already doing 25% of all oesophagectomies robotically. This pivot was a seismic change in their surgical practice. The facility is now providing robotic surgical care that is unsurpassed in the area. This honor accompanies the addition of new Da Vinci robots. Each surgical instrument fitted to the robot costs around £200 and has a life of just ten uses.
Nicholas Penney illustrated the power of this technology with the example of an engine. He added that it creates “dramatically less pain” for patients and allows for “much more accurate surgery with lower complications.”
James Hernon, the associate clinical director at NNUH, remarked on the growing importance of robotic-assisted surgery, noting that it is “fast becoming the future of surgical practice.”
One patient who recently reaped the rewards of this avant-garde technique is 54-year-old Nick Samiotis of Norfolk. Samiotis’ tumor diagnosis came just days before his 8th birthday in August 2025. He had a course of chemotherapy to reduce the tumour bulk prior to his extensive 12-hour oesophagectomy. He said he was relieved to hear that when the time came, his surgery would be less invasive. It certainly didn’t leave him with 15 little keyhole scars.
“You wouldn’t know I’d had an operation unless you were there.” – Nick Samiotis
Samiotis spoke to us about his experience with passion. In fact, if he’d opted for conventional open surgery, he said, he would’ve been in the hospital three weeks and with a far longer recovery time. Instead, as described in this video, remarkably, he was back to walking his dog within only nine days of the procedure.
“It’s a lot less trauma to the body so your recovery period is much reduced,” – Nick Samiotis
He conveyed a message of reassurance for anyone facing similar challenges:
“I would tell my past self not to worry.” – Nick Samiotis
The hospital is clearly, and deliberately, advancing its robotic capabilities. Funding for two of the new robots came from £2.8 million given to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity in donations. Today they are working to fund a fifth robot, which would expand their ability to do paediatric procedures.