Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited Leeds to officially open the robotic theatre at St James’s University Hospital.
Clinicians at the hospital, affectionately known as Jimmy’s, invited Her Royal Highness to tour the modern theatre facilities in the Lincoln wing, which offer some of the latest surgical techniques.
HRH took the opportunity to meet members of NHS staff who work in the unit, providing care for people from across the region, as well as a number of patients who shared their experiences after having undergone procedures involving the robot.
The Princess Royal then unveiled a specially commissioned plaque to mark the occasion before leaving for her next engagement.
The robotic theatre allows expert surgeons to deliver incredibly precise procedures, which can have real benefits for patients in terms of recovery times and a reduction in scarring. The technology also allows more operations to be done using keyhole techniques, offering much less invasive surgeries.
Professor David Jayne, a consultant surgeon at St James’s said: “It was wonderful to be able to welcome the Princess to the hospital to find out more about the work taking place within the robotic theatre.
“The robot here at Jimmy’s can make a big difference to the experiences people have of surgery and hundreds of adult patients from across Yorkshire have already benefitted from the use of this facility. We hope to see this continue for years to come.”
