Pioneering the All-Wales Robotic Assisted Surgery Programme

Achievements by April 2023:

• 100 cases
• 8 Surgical Teams
• 55 Staff Trained
• 140 hours of Robotic-Assisted Surgery

In robotic-assisted surgery, a robotic arm is controlled by an expert surgeon to perform keyhole surgery on the patient. Cameras and surgical implements on the arm allow the surgeon to operate within a tiny opening, and highly precise controls allow for greater accuracy in the procedure. 

Benefits include: 

• Smaller wounds mean patients experience less blood loss, have a quicker recovery, and can spend less time in hospital, returning to normal activity sooner. 
• Highly accurate controls mean precision surgeries can be carried out with reduced risks of associated damage to nerves or other organs. 
• For surgeons, the ability to sit or stand in a comfortable position during surgery has the potential to reduce stress and fatigue. 

CMR Surgical’s Versius is established as a valuable surgical tool in a number of hospitals across Europe, India, Australia, and the Middle East. CMR Surgical pride themselves on having designed a solution that is uniquely small and modular, thus able to be easily moved between departments and adaptable to patient needs. 

Professor Jared Torkington, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Clinical Lead for the National Robotic Assisted Surgery Programme at The University Hospital of Wales, said:  

“Robotic surgery is the gold standard for many cancer treatments. And the Versius system really delivers maximum value for hospitals, because it is so flexible. It gives the option to move the tool in and out of theatres as necessary, meaning it can be shared across specialisms and easily stored when not in use. As a technology partner, CMR Surgical was an obvious choice because of their commitment to working closely with all the stakeholders in Wales to realise this ambitious programme. As well as the technology roll-out, CMR Surgical are working with us on groundbreaking research in Wales, co-designing training material and looking at ways we can learn from their worldwide data on robotic surgeries.” 

Versius will be used to perform procedures across colorectal, upper gastrointestinal, urological, and gynaecology specialities. Once the programme is fully rolled out, the vision is for over 1,300 patients to benefit from the programme annually. 

Before this programme, patients in Wales had to travel long distances to access robotic-assisted surgeries. Now, instead of travelling to Cardiff, many patients in North Wales can benefit from the Versius robot at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. It was here that the first robotic-assisted hysterectomy was completed in September 2022, on 33-year-old Nicola Hughes from Bagillt. Her surgeon, Miss Ros Jones, said:  

“We are very proud to have completed the first robotic hysterectomy at Ysbyty Gwynedd. Nicola has recovered very well, and we are pleased to have this technology available to us to help us perform complex procedures precisely and accurately.” 

As well as the benefits to thousands of patients across Wales, this programme will bring real benefits to NHS Wales and the Welsh healthcare system more broadly. 

As part of the programme, CMR Surgical will support research into the adoption of robotic-assisted procedures and provide access to its global clinical registry to understand the development of patient outcomes and enhance patient safety.  

It’s also expected that the pioneering approach will bring new training and recruitment opportunities to Wales, as specialist staff come to Wales to train and practice.  

Finally, a more comfortable, ergonomic position for surgeons should help reduce the physical impact of conducting operations, and potentially prolong careers. In turn, this will increase future capacity for offering robotic surgery to cancer patients across Wales.