Hospital Trust using more robotic surgery to help transform care for patients

Patients are benefiting from quicker recoveries with more operations now being assisted by a state-of-the-art surgical robot at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).

The Trust, which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, was already using the robotic system to assist with colorectal, gynaecology and urology surgery, but has recently extended the list to include upper gastrointestinal (UGI) surgery.

In UGI surgery, operations relate to the oesophagus (the food pipe), stomach and gall bladder. It also includes weight loss surgery and hernia surgery.

Using this cutting-edge technology for UGI procedures means that the patients are benefitting from higher quality care, with less pain after surgery and usually going home the same day.

Whilst robotic surgery is a form of laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery, the robot enables the surgeon to perform an operation with even more precision and in a less invasive way.

Rather than the surgeon holding the laparoscope and surgical instruments, they are held and moved by robotic ‘arms’ which the surgeon controls from a console in the operating theatre.

Dr John Jones, Executive Medical Director, said: “We first introduced robotic assisted surgery to the Trust in 2023, and it moved us into a new era of using innovative technology to deliver high quality care for our patients.

“It is fantastic that we are now performing robotic assisted surgery on UGI patients, helping them to recover more quickly and with fewer complications. This marks another step forward to transform healthcare for our everyone in our communities.”

Mr Saurav Chakravartty, Consultant UGI Surgeon who performs robotic surgery at SaTH, said: “Using the robot allows us to use state-of-the-art, high quality precision surgery to obtain good patient outcomes.

“Being able to perform this type of surgery on UGI patients is an exciting milestone, and it is already making a positive difference for both patients and staff.”

Kat Sofio, Robotic Surgery Coordinator, added: “Introducing robotic-assisted surgery was a big change for the team, but they have fully embraced it, showing exceptional dedication and professionalism.

“Robotic surgery involves many departments, and it would not be possible without the invaluable support we receive from colleagues in Sterile Services and Stores, who help us to safely manage essential supplies and equipment.

“It has been a very successful team effort so far, and we look forward to the next phase.”