New surgical robot starts work in BSW
Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has made a major investment into a surgical robot which will enable the hospital to provide better care to patients.
The investment is part of the hospital’s commitment to deliver more operations using the most modern equipment and part of a wider plan to invest in the latest technology across the BSW Together Integrated Care System.
The new robot will be used across GWH’s General Surgery, Urology and Gynaecology departments and will allow surgeons to conduct operations in a less invasive way.
Robotic technology is continually advancing and developing, and over time will be used in the treatment of more specialties and more patients.
The £2m investment in the robot, which is called Versius, will mean patients are less likely to have to go to other parts of the South West to receive this type of treatment. It also means GWH will be able to reduce the length of time that patients spend in hospital and decrease their chances of complications.
Surgeons working at GWH will also experience reduced physical demands, and there will be opportunities to share our learning with other parts of the local healthcare system.
Training programmes will be run to upskill GWH surgical teams in using the new robot, ahead of the first operations taking place later in the year.
The Trusts’ Chief Medical Officer, Jon Westbrook, said:
“This is an important investment for the Trust, and an important example of one of the many improvements we are making. It will improve care for our patients and allow them to leave hospital sooner.
We are committed to reducing health inequalities, and this purchase means our local population are less likely to have travel long distances for this important robotic surgery.
It will also help us continue to recruit and retain the very best surgeons here in Swindon and share our specialist knowledge with our local health partners.”
Watch Dr Westbrook talk about the new robot here: Major investment into new surgical robot
