6 days ago
Robotic surgery is a 'game changer' for Ayrshire patients
NHS Ayrshire & Arran were one of the last boards to get on the robotic surgery bandwagon, but in just two years have among the most used services in Scotland.
A cutting-edge Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) programme at Crosshouse Hospital is being hailed as a 'gamechanger' for patients and staff across Ayrshire.
Since its launch in summer 2023, the system has transformed patient care, cut recovery times, and boosted recruitment in one of the health board's most challenging areas.
The RAS platform is used daily by urology, gynaecology and colorectal teams, treating 248 patients in its first year.
Many would otherwise have faced more invasive surgery – or not been suitable for an operation at all.
One woman, expecting two or three days in hospital after keyhole surgery, instead had her procedure done robotically.
She went home the same day with minimal pain, needing only two paracetamol 'just in case,' and was back at work within four weeks.
Ninety-five per cent of RAS patients are now discharged the same day.
In gynaecology, Crosshouse runs Scotland's only ambulatory hysterectomy service, with patients typically leaving less than three and a half hours after surgery.
Patients report less pain, quicker recovery, and an earlier return to normal life.
Women with conditions such as endometriosis, prolapse and incontinence are seeing some of the most tangible benefits.
The programme has also proved a powerful recruitment tool.
Urology, which previously had three consultant vacancies, is now fully staffed, including two robotic fellowship-trained surgeons.
Two new Surgical First Assistant posts have been created for theatre nurses, giving staff in-house opportunities to develop specialist skills.
Although robotic procedures cost more in theatre supplies – £433,000 extra in year one – these costs were more than offset by £471,000 in efficiency savings from shorter hospital stays, fewer re-admissions and reduced complications.
Despite being one of the last Scottish boards to introduce RAS, NHS Ayrshire & Arran now has the second most-used system in the country.
The platform handles three to four complex procedures a day, and on average, patients are discharged at least 24 hours earlier than before, needing less pain relief from recovery through to full activity and work.
With demand growing, health chiefs are developing a business case for a second robotic platform.
NHS Ayrshire & Arran Medical Director, Crawford McGuffie, praised the 'very positive impacts' of minimally invasive surgery, both in hospital measures like reduced length of stay and in wider society, with people returning to work and daily life sooner.
Board member Joyce White called the programme 'a real game changer,' noting the wider community benefits if people can get home and be self-sufficient.
She asked whether the main challenges to expansion were recruitment, capital investment, or patient confidence.
Divisional General Manager for Surgical Services, Cameron Sharkey, replied that recruitment had been 'the opposite of a constraint,' with staff applying to work in Ayrshire because of the RAS platform.
He said robotic surgery was now part of the board's 'core delivery of service' and predicted it would become an even greater part of NHS provision in the next decade.
One challenge, he said, was access to the single platform. 'We've got the time, we've got a single robot – it can be relatively expensive – but when you look at the trajectory, from 70,000 robotic procedures in 2024 to 500,000 by 2035, it's only going to grow.'
Ms White stressed the importance of factoring in the 'wider impact in the community' when making the case for a second unit.
South Ayrshire Council representative, Councillor Lee Lyons, was equally enthusiastic, saying: 'We're already basically cost neutral and that's only going to get better.
'The more that comes online, it is going to become cheaper as more are mass produced.'
The board heard that one example, ambulatory hysterectomy, could cut post-operative recovery time by around six weeks.
Ms White said this underlined the need to press for funding despite the board's smaller size, given the programme's alignment with national health priorities and its proven benefits to local communities
