South Tees leads the way for robotic surgery in NHS

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has become one of only three NHS trusts to have a team of surgical robots. Surgical teams at The James Cook University Hospital now have three da Vinci robots, allowing them to treat patients with minimally invasive procedures. The trust says it now has the potential to become a national centre of excellence. The three robots will be used across five specialities at the hospital including urology; thoratic services; gynaecology; general surgery; and ear, nose and throat services. James Cook currently provides robotic surgery to about 380 patients a year, but the expansion programme is expected to double that number.