Churchill Hospital celebrates 5,000 robotic surgery cases

Teams at the Churchill Hospital came together recently to celebrate an exceptional milestone – the successful delivery of their 5,000th robotic surgery procedure.

Soft tissue robotic surgery was first introduced at the Churchill Hospital, part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), in 2009. Initially using the da Vinci Si system, the service continued to develop with the introduction of the state-of-the-art da Vinci X and Xi systems in 2021.

Robotic surgical systems allow surgeons to conduct complex procedures in a minimally invasive way. Compared to traditional methods, robotic-assisted surgery only requires a few tiny incisions and offers surgeons a greater range of motion than just with their own hands.

It also gives greater visibility during the procedure, meaning movement accuracy is very high, often resulting in faster recoveries and lowered risk of complications.

The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England commits the NHS to adopting robotic-assisted surgery as standard for an expanded range of procedures over the next decade. NHS England has set a national ambition for 9 in 10 keyhole surgeries to be delivered with robot assistance within 10 years, up from around 1 in 5 today, with robotic surgery becoming the default for many operations.

Today, robotic services at the Churchill Hospital span a wide range of specialities, including upper and lower gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, head and neck, urology, and renal and bladder surgery.

Mr Colin Nnadi, Consultant Surgeon at OUH, said: “Reaching 5,000 robotic cases is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the dedication and teamwork of everyone involved in our robotics journey.

“From the introduction of our first robotic system in 2009 to the development of our current service, our teams have continually demonstrated a commitment to innovation and collaboration. This achievement really is a credit to so many different teams and people – our theatre teams, surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, operating department practitioners, healthcare support workers, administrative colleagues, and many more. We couldn’t have achieved this without their support.”

Lisa Glynn, Director of Clinical Services at OUH, said: “This is an incredible milestone – a huge well done to everyone involved.

“This is a really important step in the continuing development of our robotics services at OUH, and I know our teams are committed to building on this success. We’re always looking for new ways of working to ultimately deliver the best possible patient care, and our teams’ ongoing dedication to innovation and new ways of working is a really important part of that.”