Hull University Teaching Hospitals is celebrating a major milestone after its 5,000th patient underwent innovative robotic surgery.
The organisation running Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital introduced its first Da Vinci robot in 2015, with the Urology team undertaking minimally invasive procedures for patients with conditions including prostate cancer.
Now, six surgical specialties – Gynaecology Oncology, Thoracic Surgery, Colorectal, Upper GI and Head and Neck as well as Urology – offer this revolutionary treatment performed by highly skilled surgeons, offering patients the benefit of greater surgical accuracy while reducing the time they have to spend in hospital, improving recovery and rehabilitation.
Mr Peter Sedman, Deputy Group Chief Medical Officer, said a special celebration would be held in September at Castle Hill Hospital to mark the major surgical milestone of operating on the 5,000 patient, who underwent an anterior resection to remove a cancerous tumour.
“The introduction of robotic surgery was a game changer for our patients 11 years ago but, far from standing still, we’ve continued to innovate and develop our Robotically Assisted Surgery Centre,” said Mr Sedman, himself an Upper GI Consultant Surgeon.
“Patients spend less time in hospital, often going home the same day as surgery, it’s safer than conventional surgical practices with fewer complications and risks and it means we can see more patients in need of a surgical solution more quickly.
“Reaching the milestone of our 5,000 patient is an incredible achievement for all staff involved, including theatre teams and post-operative and surgical ward staff helping patients undergoing robotic surgery. We extend our heartfelt thanks to every one of them for the dedication and commitment they’ve shown to the advancement of patient care in our region.”
Robotic surgery, performed at the Allam Robotic Centre at Castle Hill Hospital, began in May 2015 after Hull businessman, former Hull City owner and philanthropist Dr Assem Allam and his family made a substantial £1.4m donation to purchase the Da Vinci Surgical Robotic System.
A second robot, enabling a major expansion of surgical capacity to benefit even more patients, was added in 2019 as part of a major £8m donation by the Allam family, which included the creation of the Allam Diabetes Centre at Hull Royal Infirmary and the Allam Digestive Centre at Castle Hill.
A spokeswoman for the Allam family said: “It is a great privilege for the Allam family to celebrate this remarkable milestone of 5,000 robotic surgery cases being performed locally. When Dr Allam invested in the Da Vinci robotic surgery suites in 2014, he was driven by a simple vision: to bring the very best and most innovative surgical technology to our area, so that patients locally could benefit from advances in healthcare that might otherwise have been available only elsewhere.
“A decade on, it is particularly gratifying to see that vision become a reality on such a significant scale. The NHS’s first national guidance on the delivery of robotic surgery programmes, published last year, recognises the transformative potential of robotic surgery, with millions of patients set to benefit from cutting-edge NHS robotic surgery over the next decade as part of the national roll out in efforts to reduce waiting times.
“Dr Allam was proud to invest in this innovative equipment for the benefit of the local population, and the Allam family is immensely proud to see the difference it continues to make. Reaching 5,000 cases is an incredible milestone and a testament to the skill and dedication of the clinical teams who have embraced this technology and continue to deliver outstanding care to patients.”
Patients suitable for robotic surgery benefit by shorter hospital stays, with some even able to undergo day surgery and be discharged home the same day after surgery, which carry a far lower risk of complications, infections and readmissions.
Advancements in patient care have continued since the first Da Vinci robot was introduced. In May this year, Urology performed the firstrobotic day case prostatectomy, improving both the patient experience and the number of patients able to be helped by the surgical team.
The Upper GI team is now one of only a few teams in Yorkshire performing robotic-assisted oesophagectomies, the main treatment helping patients with oesophageal cancer.
The Colorectal surgical team has also shortened hospital stays by three days for patients undergoing robotic surgery compared to the other practices of laparoscopy and open surgery. Patients have also benefited from reductions in complications and readmissions following robotic surgery.
Thoracic surgery use is continuing to flourish with lung cancer resections including pulmonary segmentectomies and is also being used for acute and emergency thoracic work as well as trauma and chest cavity infection surgery.
Mr Sedman said: “We are proud of all our theatre and surgical teams have achieved but we are determined to press ahead, ensuring our hospitals remain at the forefront of robotic surgery.”