Southmead Hospital has expanded its use of robots to treat cancer following a successful fundraising campaign.
Two surgical robots have been bough to treat more men with prostate cancer and to expand robotic surgery into other urological and gynaecological cancers.
Southmead Hospital Charity launched a £2million Prostate Cancer Care Appeal in 2016.
The charity has contributed £1.5m to the appeal, with a further £500,000 ongoing costs met by North Bristol NHS Trust.
Southmead Hospital is one of the largest urological centres in the country, and was one of the first centres in the UK to specialise in robotic surgery.
Elizabeth Bond, head of fundraising at Southmead Hospital Charity, said: “With the help of a brilliant community of fundraisers, donors and supporters we have enabled the urology team to continue the amazing work they do, cementing Southmead Hospital and Bristol as a leader in pioneering cancer treatment.
“A special thank you to everyone who has donated to or fundraised for the Appeal.”
The purchase of the first robot was announced in January 2018 and has already operated on hundreds of patients. The second robot has now begun operating.
Anthony Koupparis, consultant urologist and lead for the multispecialty robotic programme said: “With two new state of the art surgical robots we can continue to be at the forefront of prostate cancer care and grow our expertise in treating other cancers robotically.
“It means that more patients will benefit from robotic surgery which means shorter operating times and a reduction in their length of stay in hospital.”
Andrea Young, chief executive for North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “Thanks to Southmead Hospital Charity and their supporters, our urology and surgical teams can continue ensuring that we are at the forefront of cancer care and in delivering exceptional healthcare to our patients.
“We are very grateful for the continued support of Southmead Hospital Charity and their donors and fundraisers.”
You can continue to support prostate cancer through the charity’s urology fund. Donate here.
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