Biography

Miss Elly Brockbank

Consultant Gynaecologist

Elly Brockbank is a Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist and Chair of the RLH Robotic surgery group. Since November 2017, a Da Vinci Xi robot has been shared by surgeons from across five teams at the hospital which is part of Barts Health NHS Trust, including gynae-oncology, colorectal, urology, ear nose and throat (ENT) and hepatobiliary.

Elly Brockbank said: “I am delighted that robotic assisted surgery is proving such a success at Barts Health."

“It is rare to have so many different surgical teams at one hospital using the Da Vinci robot, and the smooth transition from simple to complex surgical procedures is due to the dedication of all staff involved. We are very much looking forward to the next one hundred cases.”

The Da Vinci robot was introduced at the hospital thanks to £5.5 million funding from Bart’s Charity.

The machines mean patients can be treated with minimally invasive surgery, with several small incisions made instead of one big cut.

Elly Brockbank also said “Robotic surgery is rapidly gaining momentum within the NHS and we are proud to be among the forerunners. I am delighted that our robotic assisted surgery programme is proving such a success.

“Our vision now is that the next 12 months will be even more successful, with even more patients benefiting from robotic surgery and us striving towards future surgical innovation to further improve outcomes for our patients.”

Using the robot means that patients undergo less-invasive surgery with reduced pain and blood loss. This means they often recover and go home more quickly and have less risk of experiencing complications.

For instance, people can now often go home the next day after their operation to remove lung cancer. And women requiring keyhole hysterectomy and operated on using the robot spend on average half the time recovering in hospital, just one night compared to two nights without the robot.