The next step for robotic-assisted surgery
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When it comes to minimally invasive care, technology and capability are no longer barriers. The government’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitions to expand robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) to millions more patients in the next decade; however, the key problem to solve is equity of access.
Across the UK, you’ll find countless innovative RAS initiatives pioneered by NHS clinicians and care teams using da Vinci surgical systems. From trusts implementing dedicated da Vinci daycase and emergency departments, to surgeons performing 10+ cholecystectomies on a list, and tackling health inequalities in gynaecology and lung cancer care – the benefits of da Vinci robotic-assisted technology for patient outcomes, system efficiency and increased productivity are profound.
Now, the problem to solve is increasing equity of access to RAS programmes across the UK to realise these benefits for all.
How can we support the equitable rollout of RAS?
Achieving both improved clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness requires a high volume of activity at trust, care team and surgeon level. That’s why, within Intuitive’s comprehensive ecosystem, we focus on the importance of robust clinical evidence and training for surgeons and care teams, to help address the clinical, operational and economic challenges hospitals face.
This means expanding opportunities for comprehensive, ongoing education and training that support clinicians and care teams to deliver the best possible patient care with da Vinci technology. With the expansion of training paramount for surgeons of the future, Intuitive’s new UK and Ireland training centre and participation in the Shelford Group’s START programme mean thousands more residents, surgeons and care team members will have access to da Vinci technology training over the years to come.
It also means continuing to support clinicians with quality data and digital solutions integrated into our technology to deliver meaningful insights before, during and after procedures, enabling better clinical decision-making. The aim here is simple: objectively understand what “great” looks like for surgical practice and apply this to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients consistently, reducing variation and increasing standardisation.
NHS leaders are critical to the journey as RAS expands at scale, and it’s vital that all NHS leaders can access clinical outcome data, operational data and better financial data to evidence the value that da Vinci RAS is bringing to their patients and hospitals. We remain focused on working closely with all trusts and executives to help them deliver cost-effective da Vinci programmes that ultimately lower the total cost to treat per patient episode.
It’s been more than 25 years since da Vinci RAS came to the NHS, and since then, more than 300,000 patients have benefitted from da Vinci surgery in the UK and Ireland, and more than 20 million patients worldwide. We stand ready to support NHS leaders and the government to implement their ambitions to expand RAS equitably across the country – sharing best practice and giving surgeons and care teams the tools they need to help deliver the best possible outcomes for every patient, every day and everywhere.
