Record-breaking robotic surgery weekend helps cut waiting times

In September 2024, surgical teams at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital carried out their highest-ever number of robotic-assisted operations in a single weekend, as part of another High Intensity Theatre (HIT) initiative designed to reduce waiting times and improve access to treatment.

Across the two-day “super surgery weekend”, 59 patients were treated, including 30 women who underwent robotic hysterectomies. The gynaecology team completed more than five times the usual number of robotic hysterectomies, supported by the hospital’s Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot and a multidisciplinary team spanning surgery, anaesthetics, nursing, theatre staff and operational services.

Robotic-assisted surgery allows complex procedures to be carried out through minimally invasive techniques with a high degree of precision. For patients, this can mean reduced pain and blood loss, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery. At Chelsea and Westminster, more than half of patients undergoing robotic gynaecological surgery are able to go home on the same day as their operation.

The weekend also had an important training role. Clinical fellows took part in the programme, continuing Chelsea and Westminster’s focus on developing expertise in robotic gynaecological surgery while increasing the number of patients able to receive timely treatment.

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Read the full story from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust