Plans for state-of-the-art robot assisted surgery in Worcestershire take another step forward

Thursday 7 July 2022

Plans to bring state-of-the-art robot assisted surgery to Worcestershire have taken another significant step forward this week with work starting to make an operating theatre at the Alexandra Hospital robot-ready.

Contractors are now on site at the Alexandra to upgrade and refurbish an operating theatre so that it can be used for robotic assisted surgery when the service goes live later this year.

The work, which will take around six weeks to complete, includes reinforcing the theatre floor to take the weight of the robot as well as upgrading the ventilation system, general refurbishment and redecoration.

Senior clinicians aim to begin providing robotic surgery at the Alexandra later this year. The robot will be a further addition to the range of high quality elective (planned) surgical services already provided at the hospital for patients from across Worcestershire and beyond.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Alexandra as well as Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre and Worcestershire Royal Hospital, is investing more than £3.5 million in the new service. Thanks to the generosity of local supporters, a fundraising appeal in aid of robotic surgery had already raised around £500,000, before plans for the development were paused during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Surgeon Mr Terng Chen, the Trust’s clinical service lead for Urology, said: “After working for many years to bring robot assisted surgery to Worcestershire, to see work actually starting on the operating theatre where it will be carried out is another very positive step forward which is great news for our patients and our service.” 

The first procedure to be offered by the new service will be robot-assisted prostate surgery for men with prostate cancer.

For those patients who are able to have it, Robotic-assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP) can offer equivalent or better outcomes, less pain, shorter stays in hospital and quicker recovery for patients with prostate cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in men.

Currently, any prostate cancer patient from Worcestershire who wants this type of surgery as part of their treatment has to travel out of the county for it. That means around 80 patients a year having to travel away from Worcestershire for their operation.

Mr Stephen Goodyear, the Trust’s Divisional Director for Surgery, adds: “As well as offering state of the art care for our patients, this new facility will also help to make our Trust an even more attractive place to work or train for clinical staff from a wide range of roles and specialties including surgeons and theatre practitioners.”

“I would like to thank colleagues who have worked so hard to get us to this stage, as well as to the teams at the Alexandra and Kidderminster who have helped us efficiently deliver planned surgery within other theatres across those two sites to ensure that we can avoid any disruption to this activity while the work is carried out.”

Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, says: “This development is a vital part of our plans for the future of our services and our hospitals and a further demonstration of our commitment to providing the best experience of care and outcomes for our patients.”