The Black Country Provider Collaborative (BCPC), which comprises four Black Country NHS trusts, has announced the procurement of robotics solutions for surgical procedures.
BCPC has said it hopes to use the technology to reduce health inequalities across the region.
According to the partnership, The Black Country is the second-most challenged healthcare system in the country in terms of health inequities.
Read more: Helping hands
The decision to increase provisions for robotic assisted surgery (RAS) across the Black Country was part of a drive towards clinical transformation to further improve services and give access to high-quality care to patients in the region.
The trusts working in the BCPC are: Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust; The Dudley Group NHS; Foundation Trust; The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust; and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) has been using robotic surgery in urology since 2010. The first robotic-assisted operation was performed at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust’s City Hospital on 14 April.
What’s more, in January this year, Walsall Manor Hospital became the first district general hospital in the country to offer robot-arm-assisted surgery for hip and knee replacement patients.
Some of the key benefits of robotic surgery include shorter recovery times; reduced bleeding, risk of infection and surgical complications; less post-operative pain; smaller scars and reduced length of stay for patients in hospital.
