Hospital to be UK's Largest Robotic Surgery Centre
Monday, 2026/02/09198 words3 minutes700 reads
Royal Stoke University Hospital is poised to become the UK's largest robotic surgery centre following a substantial £12 million investment from the Denise Coates Foundation. This funding will significantly expand access to cutting-edge robotic surgery capabilities across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, benefiting over 1,000 patients annually.
The expansion will facilitate a diverse range of complex procedures, including emergency and cardiac surgery. Notably, Royal Stoke will become the first UK hospital to implement innovative technology enabling surgeons to perceive tissue resistance in real time, thereby enhancing control, minimizing unnecessary force, and supporting safer, more precise surgical interventions.
The hospital has already demonstrated remarkable outcomes with robotic surgery, achieving a 20% uplift in surgical productivity and reducing average patient stay by two days per case—equivalent to saving approximately 3,000 bed days annually. The latest expansion is projected to increase this to at least 5,000 bed days per year. According to NHS projections, by 2035, robotic technology will support 500,000 operations annually across England, with 90% of keyhole surgeries being robot-assisted. This latest donation brings the Denise Coates Foundation's total contribution to the hospital's charitable arm to £29 million since 2014, reinforcing its commitment to advancing world-leading surgical care within local communities.
