NICE approves 11 robotic surgery systems for use in the NHS
Professor Jim Khan and the da Vinci Xi robot (Credit: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved the use of 11 robotic surgery systems in the NHS, to help transform care for thousands of patients undergoing soft tissue and orthopaedic procedures.
The technology, which is capable of movements more precise than the human hand, has the potential to improve care for patients being operated on by surgeons in specialist NHS centres.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, programme director of NICE’s HealthTech programme, said: “The data gathered over the next three years will allow us to evaluate exactly how these technologies can improve patient care and help ensure NHS resources are directed toward interventions that deliver meaningful clinical benefits and long-term value to our health service.
“Robot-assisted surgery may help overcome key limitations of conventional techniques through precise movements and enhanced 3D visualisation, potentially transforming surgical options and outcomes for NHS patients.
“Both applications could benefit patients who might not otherwise be candidates for minimally invasive approaches.”
Five systems for soft tissue procedures, such as hernia repair, removal of tumours, and gallbladder – have received conditional approval.
These are: Da Vinci SP, Da Vinci X and Xi, Hugo Robotic-Assisted Surgery System, Senhance Surgical System, and Versius Surgical System.
Six technologies for orthopaedic surgery, such as full and partial knee replacement procedures and hip replacements, have also been recommended by NICE.
These are: Apollo Knee System, CORI Surgical System, Mako SmartRobotics, ROSA Knee Solution, SkyWalker Robotic-assisted technology, and VELYS Robotic-Assisted Solution.
The recommendations will allow a coordinated approach to the expansion of surgical technologies so that the NHS can maximise the benefits for patients and evidence will be collected to help NICE validate these benefits to prove the technologies’ value and inform future implementation decisions.
Each robot system costs between £500,000 and £1.5 million and they are typically only found in specialist centres which perform hundreds of procedures annually.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “This is fantastic news for patients and shows that the NHS continues to find new ways to utilise the latest technological innovations to improve care.
“This will be a vital element of the 10 year health plan which will be published in the coming months.
“Robot-assisted surgery is crucial to the future of high-quality healthcare – and with benefits including shorter stays in hospital, faster recovery for patients and less invasive procedures these advancements will have a knock-on effect throughout the system and help patients get treated quicker.
“This is an important step forward as we continue to work to ensure everyone is able to get high quality care when they need it.”
Patient organisations told NICE’s independent appraisal committee that faster recovery times, shorter hospital stays and quicker return to work were the biggest benefits of robotic surgery.
Patients also reported experiencing less pain and reduced scarring compared with traditional surgery.
In February 2025, NICE launched a consultation into proposals to transform how medical devices, diagnostics and digital and AI health technologies are evaluated under its HealthTech programme. You can read more about the changes in this opinion piece.
