The UK’s largest robotic-assisted surgery training centre has been opened in Winnersh, near Reading. This innovative facility is designed to offer the best training possible for surgeons from around the globe. It increases their skill level for robotic surgery approaches.
Surgeons from all over Europe are already travelling to the centre to advance their skills, especially in the field of metabolic surgery. The center operates with the da Vinci surgical system. This system is well known for its accuracy and leading edge technique in minimally invasive procedures. Over 200 of these systems are now live in hospitals throughout the UK and Ireland. Beyond inspiring the trend toward robotic assistance in surgical environments, they are pulling it in a big way.
Surgical robotics
In June, NHS England announced stretch plans to have robotic assistance in 90% of major keyhole surgery by 2035. This announcement is an unprecedented departure from practices across the surgical field. Our Winnersh facility is perfectly placed to drive this initiative forward. It will become a training and development center for new robotic surgery techniques.
Gijs van Boxel, consultant surgeon, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth. He stressed the value of the new provincial training centre, which opened last year.
“Today, we’ve been training on metabolic surgery. We’ve got French surgeons visiting from Montpellier. 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.” – Gijs van Boxel
Van Boxel underscored that “robotic-assisted surgery” implies the procedure is automated. A consummate surgeon never gives up the reins during the operation.
“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.” – Gijs van Boxel
He no less acknowledged the huge progress that the field has made, saying,
“It feels futuristic but the concept of robotic-assisted surgery is not a new one; the development that’s gone into this over the various iterations has been extensive, lots of lessons have been learnt.” – Gijs van Boxel
The da Vinci surgical system has made a dramatic impact on patient outcomes. More than 300,000 patients have safely undergone procedures with this new technology. The launch of the Winnersh training centre marks an important milestone in the development of robotic surgery across the South of England. Most importantly, though, it helps bolster the transformative nationwide efforts to promote safer surgical practices.