Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity contributed £160,000 to advanced surgical robot transforming patient care

Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity is delighted to announce a £160,0000 contribution towards a state-of-the-art da Vinci surgical robot, affectionately named Leonardo by the clinical team. This represents one of the Charity’s largest grants in recent years and marks a major step forward in advancing patient care across the Trust and South West London.

The new surgical robot, based at Epsom Hospital, will be shared by surgical teams across Epsom, St Helier and St George’s hospitals, supporting greater collaboration across gesh. It is expected to treat around 300 patients in its first year, rising to over 550 annually as more surgeons complete specialist training.

Robotic-assisted surgery is less invasive than traditional techniques, using small incisions and high-definition 3D camera to allow greater precision. This results in less damage to surrounding tissue, reduced blood loss and lower levels of post-operative pain. For patients, this means reduced waiting times for surgery, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery.

The introduction of the surgical robot will also help attract and retain highly skilled clinicians, offering cutting-edge training opportunities and enabling more advanced procedures to be carried out across a range of specialities including general surgery, colorectal, gynaecology, urology and ENT.

Molly Simpson, Head of Charity and Fundraising for Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity said:

“We’re incredibly proud to help more local people access cutting-edge surgery by part-funding the new surgical robot at Epsom Hospital.

“Thanks to our generous donors and fundraisers, we’re able to make every penny count and deliver real benefits for patients.”

Haider Jan, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, added:

“We treated our first patient this week using the new Da Vinci Surgical Robot and it allowed us to offer more advanced and precise surgery. We are very excited to have this now and look forward to rolling it our across all specialties than can benefit from it. We think it will be a great advancement for the population that we serve.”

The Charity is proud to support innovations like this, helping to ensure patients across South West London can benefit from the latest advancements in healthcare, closer to home.

If you are interested in finding out about future projects and keeping up to date with our work please visit www.esthcharity.org.uk