Nick Samiotis, a 54-year-old from Norfolk, is basking in the success of his first robotic surgery. He had the operation carried out at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). It was an extremely complicated and innovative procedure, an oesophagectomy, performed by celebrated surgeon Nicholas Penney. He deftly manipulated an incredibly advanced Da Vinci robot from a 3D console tucked away in the corner of the operating theater. This minimally invasive surgical technique left Samiotis with just 15 tiny keyhole scars. As a direct benefit of using the robot, his recovery time was much less compared with after open surgery.
Samiotis’ diagnosis of oesophageal cancer came just days before his 57 th birthday in August 2025. After chemotherapy to shrink the tumour, he went through the 12-hour robotic surgery. Throughout the operation, Penney frequently cut manually. Even so, the complex and delicate procedure was far more robotic than human, and the system conducted the surgery with remarkable accuracy and control.
“If I had gone through open surgery, I would have experienced a three-week hospital stay and a recovery process that would’ve taken many months,” said Samiotis. Instead, he found himself back to walking his dog just nine days post-op. He was thankful for the advances in surgical technology that helped him recuperate quickly.
NNUH is now recognized as the largest provider of multi-speciality robotic surgery at a single site in the East of England. The hospital has recently spent £2.8 million on new Da Vinci robots. This purchase was enabled by the kind donations received by the Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity. These robots are outfitted with surgical instruments, which each cost about £200. They won’t last you long, only about ten uses. At the moment, NNUH is in the middle of fundraising for a fifth robot, which would expand their capabilities further, including support for paediatric procedures.
Surgeon Nicholas Penney emphasized the benefits of this robotic technology, stating, “Patients experience a lot less pain and the procedures are more precise with fewer complications.” He noted that prior to NNUH scaling up its robotic surgery, just 25% of oesophagectomies were performed this way. The adoption of robotic surgery has nearly doubled these figures. With the addition of robotic assistance, surgical practices have changed dramatically at the hospital.
James Hernon, associate clinical director at NNUH, highlighted that robotic-assisted surgery is “fast becoming the future of surgical practice.” Hospitals are understandably rushing to invest in tomorrow’s technology and surgical techniques today. In doing so, patients such as Samiotis will experience shorter recoveries and improved results.