Inside the Bristol hospital using robotic-assisted surgery to help reduce NHS waiting times

Revolutionary robotic-assisted surgery is giving new hope for a speedier end to the many months some patients spend on NHS waiting lists.

Surgeons at Southmead Hospital, in Bristol, recently used giant robots to help them carry out a record-equalling 24 gynaecological procedures over two days.

It's hoped the successful trial could help increase the number of people treated as winter pressures on health services increase.

"You've got women who are housebound by their problems, they're not able to be the mums, the partners, the professionals they wish to be," said one of the consultant gynaecologists, Jessica Preshaw.

"For some of them an operation is life-changing so if we can do it sooner, then that's all the better."

The Da Vinci Xi, built by a company based in Los Angeles in the United States, allows the consultant to sit on a console in the corner of the operating theatre, while in full control of precision instruments, viewed through a 3D camera.

Islam Gamaleldin, one of the consultant gynaecologists leading the operations, said simply being able to sit rather than stand conserved energy levels and allowed him to carry out 50% more procedures than before.

"We've managed to bring down the backlog (on NHS waiting lists) from 24 months to 12-14 months," he said.

"It's not the levels we were at pre-covid but it's definitely making a massive improvement on how we're doing things. It's a game-changer."

Julie Stollery, 56, benefitted from the robot's intervention when she had a hysterectomy in July.

She spent years living in pain and said the operation has given her her life back.

"The recovery time from the robot was incredibly quick," she said. "The post-operation wounds were very quick to heal. I had hardly any discomfort."

Despite costing a six-figure sum to install and operate, the expectation is money will be saved on the number of operations and the recovery time of patients. Dr Gamaleldin added: "The robot allows you to do more complex surgeries in a shorter space of time.

"With winter pressures coming in with bed spaces, we've had the problem of where to put patients and this can lead to patient cancellations.

"Now we can improve patient outcomes and send people home the same day."