University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) is on course to become the UK’s largest robotic surgery centre. They are bringing world-class technology that dramatically increases the precision of surgery. This new initiative, announced just last week by HHS, promises to dramatically reshape how patients are cared for. It will enhance surgeons’ ability to feel real-time tissue resistance while performing surgery.
It’s immediately apparent given the very colourful cladding of the many storeys hospital, most recognizably its bright red and yellow lower cladding. It aims to do the majority of keyhole, or minimally invasive, operations with robotic assistance within 10 years. This visionary effort will help make surgical procedures faster and patient recovery time quicker and more efficient. Now that the latest expansion is underway, we anticipate saving about 5,000 bed days per year.
The innovative new technology will directly help more than 1,000 patients each year. It will accommodate dozens of intricate procedures, including trauma and cardiology surgeries. Such developments put UHNM firmly on the trajectory to being a recognised centre of excellence for robotic surgery.
In October, UHNM was in the news as the first hospital in all of England to use the “Magic Leap” surgical system. Surgeons can access detailed 3D images of a patient’s spine before and during operations. This is only possible thanks to uniquely calibrated virtual reality goggles that sharpen their accuracy and intuition. The NHS even hopes that this trailblazing approach will prepare 500,000 of these procedures all over England each and every year by way of 2035. Just this fiscal year, nearly 70,000 procedures have already had the positive effects of this newer approach secured to them.
Philip Varghese, a representative from UHNM, emphasized the significance of this expansion:
“This expansion significantly strengthens our ability to deliver robotic surgery across a wider range of complex procedures.”
Their commitment to advancing new surgical technology is a perfect fit with the foundation’s mission to promote and endow permanent and life-changing impacts in our local communities. Coates, another spokesperson, noted that:
“This investment will allow more patients across the region to benefit from world-leading surgical care closer to home.”
As UHNM embarks on this transformative journey, it reinforces its dedication to providing cutting-edge medical care while enhancing the overall patient experience. Robotic surgery is changing the landscape of how surgeries are being performed. It holds the potential for improving patient outcomes and achieving greater value in how healthcare is delivered.