Robotic surgery will see a major expansion across the NHS with mechanical arms now used for a host of routine operations.
Robotic arm systems costing between £500,000 and £1.5million now will be used for common procedures such as hernia repair, knee and hip replacements. NHS leaders say the 11 new machine systems – capable of movements more precise than the human hand – will “transform” NHS surgery meaning much smaller incisions are required, speeding up recovery time.
Robotic arms are already used at some specialist NHS centres in operations to remove some tumours, such as surgery to remove a prostate gland, but they will now be used much more widely.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said: “This is fantastic news for patients and shows that the NHS continues to find new ways to utilise the latest technological innovations to improve care. This will be a vital element of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan which will be published in the coming months.
“Robot-assisted surgery is crucial to the future of high-quality healthcare and with benefits including shorter stays in hospital, faster recovery for patients and less invasive procedures these advancements will have a knock-on effect throughout the system and help patients get treated quicker. This is an important step forward as we continue to work to ensure everyone is able to get high quality care when they need it.”
The guidance states five of the 11 new robot-assisted surgical (RAS) systems will be used for soft tissue surgeries, such as removing tumours, repairing hernias and removing gallbladders. The remaining six are used in orthopaedics – bones and muscles – such as hip and knee replacements of which the NHS currently carries out over 200,000 every year.
The machines have one or more mechanical arms to which a tiny camera called an endoscope and surgical instruments are attached. The surgical instruments are “wristed” – meaning they can move like the human hand but with more range. The surgeon usually controls the apparatus from a remote console but some are handheld.
Trials suggest robot surgery results in less pain and scarring, fewer complications and allows patients to recover and return to work sooner.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, NICE HealthTech programme director, said: “These innovative technologies have the potential to transform both soft tissue and orthopaedic surgical care in the NHS. The data gathered over the next three years will allow us to evaluate exactly how these technologies can improve patient care and help ensure NHS resources are directed toward interventions that deliver meaningful clinical benefits and long-term value to our health service.
“Robot-assisted surgery may help overcome key limitations of conventional techniques through precise movements and enhanced 3D visualisation, potentially transforming surgical options and outcomes for NHS patients. Both applications could benefit patients who might not otherwise be candidates for minimally invasive approaches.”
Consultant surgeon Nuha Yassin, council member at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “NICE’s approval of 11 cutting-edge RAS systems marks a significant step forward in enhancing surgical precision and improving patients’ outcomes across the NHS. The potential for faster recovery times, reduced complications, and increased access to minimally invasive procedures could transform patient care. NICE’s evaluation helps demonstrate the strong clinical evidence base for these technologies and paves the way for the continued expansion of RAS for orthopaedic procedures, such as knee arthroplasty, as well as in colorectal surgery.”
The companies which make and run the RAS systems have agreed to keep patient data over the next three years to demonstrate their safety and cost effectiveness before the NICE draft guidance confirms the technologies should be routinely adopted across the NHS. Among the issues Nice will look at are how the technology impacts the length of hospital stays and waiting lists, as well as the resources used for training staff and the costs of implementing the systems.
John McGrath, consultant urological surgeon at North Bristol NHS Trust, and chair of the NHSE Steering Committee for Robotic Assisted Surgery, said: “This is a further milestone in surgical innovation, and we are currently working hard to develop a national strategy that ensures patients across the country are able to access this treatment when they need it, regardless of location.
“Later this month, we will release the first national guidance for the NHS in England that describes how robotic programmes should be configured, implemented and delivered as the services scale up. A key aspect in this is ensuring the necessary increase in expertise in robot-assisted surgery across the NHS workforce so this technology can have the greatest possible impact for patients.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
