Surgeons at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust completed their 100th operation using a new robotic-assisted system at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital in Hampshire on 3 March 2026. This milestone comes less than six months after the local hospital became the first in the UK to start using the advanced technology to help patients with complex health needs.
The da Vinci 5 surgical system is used for a variety of tasks including gynaecology, general surgery, and procedures on the liver and bile duct. It provides surgeons with high-definition 3D vision and 10,000 times more computing power than older models, which helps them perform intricate work through very small cuts in the skin.
This equipment was not paid for by standard government budgets but through a major fundraising partnership between the Hampshire Hospitals Charity and the Hampshire Medical Fund. Local patients were first treated with the system around 1 December 2025, and the trust has integrated the technology into its daily routine quickly to reach this 100th procedure milestone.
Hospital staff say the system leads to less blood loss and shorter hospital stays for patients, allowing them to return home and recover faster than traditional surgery. By helping patients get back on their feet sooner, the trust hopes to free up more beds and reduce the overall waiting times for people in the local community who need operations.
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