Wirral patient becomes the first to benefit from Arrowe Park’s £1.6m Da Vinci robot

Feb 20 2013 by Helen Hunt, Birkenhead News

A WIRRAL patient has become the first to have his surgery performed by a new £1.6m robot at Arrowe Park hospital.

Simon Boulton, 59, from Bebington, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, had his surgery carried out with the help of the Da Vinci surgical robot.

The pioneering piece of kit is the latest development in keyhole surgery, allowing surgeons to utilise the robot’s arms to operate deep within the body with the greatest of precision.

And because the robot’s instruments are so fine, with millimetre accuracy, it means complex procedures can be done with minimal impact on the body, which means quicker recovery times for patients and less scarring. Most are able to leave the next day.

Simon said: “Being told you have cancer is something you are never really prepared for. However the compassion, care and competence I have received during my treatment has been nothing short of five star.

“Due to the location and spread of the cancer, my consultant, Mr Kumar, suggested I opt for surgery using this latest bit of kit and have my prostate removed rather than having radiotherapy.

“I can honestly say the whole experience couldn’t have been smoother. I had the four hour operation and that night Mr Kumar was sat chatting away to me saying how well everything went.”

Arrowe Park hospital is a regional urology cancer centre and treats a number of patients not only from Wirral but also from Warrington, Chester and the Isle of Man.

The Da Vinci, funded through the Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group which pays for local NHS services, will be used to treat disorders of the urinary system including the removal of the prostate gland, hysterectomy, partial removal of the kidney and bowel cancer procedures.