Two brand new surgical robots have joined the team at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust to help surgeons with more precise surgery.

The cutting-edge Da Vinci robots will help surgeons at the Trust operate in a minimally invasive way, improving patient care and recovery times.

The two robots – an investment of £4.5 million from NHS England - arrived at the Trust last month.

Since they arrived, 50 members of staff have already received intensive training to use them, and they are now up and running supporting staff and patients.

Mr Philip Charlesworth, Consultant Urological Surgeon said, “These Da Vinci robots are a welcome addition and will make a big difference. We have been performing robotic surgery at the Royal Berkshire Hospital for 15 years now, but with the addition of these new latest Da Vinci Xi robots we have expanded and improved our offer to patients.

“These include pioneering surgical techniques to treat prostate cancer, bladder cancer including new bladder reconstruction, colorectal cancer, and other gastrointestinal procedures.

Mr Charlesworth said that the robots will make surgery less invasive, from a patient’s point of view. It will mean that recovery time is shortened.

“We are delighted to have these latest systems, and the improvement in the quality of care we can offer our patients,” he added.

They work alongside the surgical teams, with three arms equipped with instruments and a camera.

The surgeon sits at a console operating the robot arms while watching through a 3D monitor.

As well as reduced recovery time, the magnification the robots provide also mean that in the surgeon’s expert hands, surgery can be even more precise.

Acting Chief Executive, Janet Lippett, said, “It’s fantastic to see these surgical robots making a difference already. I understand that surgery is always a worry, and we hope that patients are reassured that we are investing to make sure their surgery and recovery goes as smoothly, and as quickly as possible.”