NHS Plans Half Million Robotic Surgeries Annually by 2035

The NHS in England plans a major expansion of robotic surgery, aiming to increase robot-assisted procedures from 70,000 in 2023/24 to around half a million annually by 2035. Officials project that nine in ten keyhole surgeries will involve robotic assistance by then, up from one in five currently, which is expected to reduce elective waiting times by 2029. NHS England's chief executive Sir Jim Mackey emphasized that robotic surgery not only speeds up the number of operations but also results in better outcomes, faster recoveries, and shorter hospital stays. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, a kidney cancer survivor who underwent robot-assisted surgery, highlighted the transformative potential of innovative technologies for the NHS. Robots provide greater dexterity and precision, sometimes performing parts of orthopedic operations, and have expanded across numerous medical fields beyond urology. The NHS has approved multiple robotic systems to ensure more equitable access and to address the persistent backlog of 7.4 million patients waiting for treatment.