Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) is
dedicated to supporting innovation in patient
care across Addenbrooke’s Hospital in
Cambridge, and is currently raising £1.5million
to buy a new, additional, surgical robot.
Robotic surgery is a form of keyhole surgery
involving small incisions where the surgeon
controls a computer-enhanced robot, mimicking
the surgeon’s hands and wrist movements, and
allowing absolute precision.
It can take months to recover from traditional,
‘open’ surgery but incisions made using robotic
surgery are much smaller, reducing the risk of
complications and infection, minimising
scarring, pain and discomfort and helping
patients recover and return home more quickly.
Following robot-assisted surgery, patients can
be discharged from hospital within a matter
of days, not weeks.
Adrian underwent robotic surgery in 2020 at
Addenbrooke’s to remove a tumour from his
kidney. He said: “After a couple of days, I could
pretty much do anything I had been able to do
before the operation... ...It just astonished us all
how quickly I was totally back to normal. That
robot is an incredible piece of kit.”
Currently, Addenbrooke’s only has one robot,
which is dedicated to kidney, bladder, and
prostate cancer patients. ACT’s appeal will help
fund another surgical robot, revolutionising
patient care across six specialities in the
hospital including urology, gynae-oncology,
gynaecology, lower GI (gastrointestinal tract),
ENT (ear, nose and throat) and HPB (Hepato-
Pancreatico-Biliary - diseases of the liver,
pancreas and biliary tree) and improving
outcomes for many more patients every year.
Consultant in Gynaecological Oncology,
Krishnayan Haldar, said: “Using robotic assisted
surgery has an advantage over current
laparoscopic surgery, because it can help us to
provide much finer dissection. For example, the
surgeon can preserve the nerves to the bladder
and bowel during a radical hysterectomy – aSignal Boost
nerve sparing procedure. The results are much
better for the patient’s quality of life post-
surgery... And it has been proven that post-
surgery, pain is reduced because the movement
and pulling of skin around the entry point is
reduced. Some patients can be discharged on
the same day; having a hysterectomy in the
morning and leaving the hospital that evening
because the incision is so small.”Want to help?
For every £1,000 we raise we enable one
extra patient to benefit from minimal
scarring, faster recuperation – and we get
them home to their loved ones as quickly
as we can.
To find out more about our robot
appeal – or to make a donation – visit
helpyourhospital.co.uk. You’ll also see the
many other ways in which ACT supports
Addenbrooke’s to help make this great
hospital even better.Welcome to our Signal Boost project – a page for charitable
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A new robot will transform surgery for patients