The ‘da Vinci X’ will speed up both recovery and waiting times for those vitally needing surgery.
A high-tech robot will now help doctors as they carry out cancer surgeries at Nottingham’s largest private hospital.
The ‘da Vinci’ X surgical system has been introduced at The Park Hospital to undertake urgent cancer surgery for patients across the East Midlands. As well as quicker recovery times, the da Vinci can also lower rates of surgical complications.
The market-leading da Vinci surgical system manufactured by Intuitive Surgical has a price tag in the region of between £1million and £2million.
Beyond the peripheries of Greater London, The Park is currently the only private hospital in the UK to own one of these robots putting Nottingham in a unique position to offer robotic assisted surgery to its private patients.
Leading the project Consultant Urological Surgeon Mr Ben Sherwood, said: “I’m delighted that Circle Health Group have chosen to make this investment in their Nottingham hospital.
“We can now provide the optimum pathway for private patients choosing to see us at Nottingham Prostate Centre; our specialist clinic based at The Park Hospital.”
“This development will make a significant impact on the continuity of care for private patients and supplements the existing da Vinci service already in place at Nottingham City Hospital for our NHS patients.”
The close working relationship between Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and The Park Hospital has been widely recognised over the course of the pandemic for their collaborative approach and rapid response.
More than 3,000 cancer patients have now been treated at the private hospital at Burntstump Country Park near Arnold, including many requiring specialist care in their Intensive Care Unit.
As part of The Park’s continuing commitment to supporting their local NHS trusts a proportion of robotic theatre capacity has been offered to NHS patients.
The robot consists of a series of mechanical arms controlled by a highly trained surgeon sitting at a console on the other side of the room.
This console translates the surgeon’s hand movements in real-time to the instruments attached to the robotic arms, while allowing him to view the operation with unprecedented clarity via a high-definition, 3D video feed.
The primary advantage of robotic surgery over open surgery is it allows surgeons to conduct operations through just the tiniest of incisions in the skin.
The Park’s first patient to undergo surgery under the arms of the newly acquired robot was 59-year-old Philip Marsden from the Vale of Belvoir on 6 May.
Mr Marsden required a radical prostatectomy as treatment for prostate cancer and was delighted to have his surgery at The Park Hospital.
He said: “Following the results of a biopsy on New Year’s Eve I expected to be waiting months for my surgery”, I was more than relieved to come to a ‘bio-secure’ Covid free hospital”.
The prospect of being operated on robotically was a further reassurance to Mr Marsden, he added: “I was relieved not to be undergoing traditional open surgery.
“All the information was provided in advance upfront and I had every confidence in the expertise of my surgeon, Mr Sherwood.” Now making an excellent recovery at home Mr Marsden reflected on his experience at The Park as “tremendous, the level of care from arriving to leaving was exceptional”.
Amanda Dorkes, Executive Director at The Park Hospital, explained “Demand for our hospital is higher than ever as patients are choosing to pay privately for their treatment.
“Using robotic assistance to conduct such operations can avoid many of the complications of traditional open surgery and patients can go home and recover more quickly”.
