Robotic surgery
Our private robotic surgery service is provided at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.
Our dedicated team of world class surgeons perform over 90% of kidney cancer operations at the Royal Free London Private Patients Unit using robotic surgery.
What is robotic-assisted surgery?
Robotic-assisted surgery is the next evolution in surgery. ‘Robots in surgery’ can be misleading as the surgeon operates the robot – it’s not a standalone robot.
Robot surgery grew out of laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery where the surgeon makes small incisions (cuts) in a patient using specialised instruments and a camera inserted through the tiny hole. However, the instruments are on a shaft and, therefore, are challenging to manipulate.
In robot-assisted surgery, our expert surgeons use a high-definition camera, magnified three-dimensional vision and superior instruments to perform the operation.
The surgeon’s console sits in the corner of the room and the surgeon uses joysticks to remotely operate the instruments in the patient . The instruments attached to robotic arms replicate the surgeon’s hand movements, enabling them to be more precise.
Robotic surgery provides a minimally invasive approach to treat complex surgical conditions. At The Royal Free, it is currently used for kidney cancer, kidney transplantation, bowel cancer and some liver, pancreas and gallbladder surgery.
Contact us Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm:
Booking line: +44 (0) 20 4502 8783
Who is robotic surgery for?
Most kidney cancer patients will be eligible for robotic surgery. It is a way of performing minimally invasive surgery for more complex operations.
The few exceptions are those whose tumours are too large for such a minimally invasive approach to remove, but it’s a small minority.
Robotic surgery for treating kidney cancer
3 main robotic procedures are offered for kidney cancers:
- Robotic partial nephrectomy: where a kidney mass is removed from the kidney, leaving the remainder of the unaffected kidney in the body, usually performed for smaller kidney cancers
- Robotic radical nephrectomy: where the kidney mass is removed with the kidney for more complex kidney cancers
- Robotic nephroureterectomy: where the kidney, ureter and cuff of bladder are removed for a type of cancer called urothelial cancer
Risks & side effects: is robotic surgery safer than traditional surgery?
All operations have an element of risk.
Open surgery results in a large wound, which means considerable blood loss, retraction (holding back tissues or organs with a surgical instrument) during the operation and more pain for the patient afterwards. Robotic surgery significantly decreases these risks.
Robot-assisted surgery means your surgeon can do complex reconstructive surgery with improved vision and skill, leading to a shorter recovery and less blood loss.
Other benefits of robotic surgery include:
- Smaller incisions/scars
- Fewer blood transfusions
- Shorter hospital stays
- Earlier return to normal activities
You will no longer need to stay in the hospital for up to five days as patients did with conventional open kidney cancer surgery. Instead, your hospital time after this revolutionary technique is usually one or two days. Meanwhile, recovery takes four to six weeks, not two to three months of conventional open surgery.
Operations benefiting from robotic surgery include:
- Partial nephrectomy – where the surgeon cuts a small tumour from the kidney and reconstructs the crater left in the kidney afterwards
- Radical nephrectomy – removal of the whole kidney, usually for larger tumours or part of the kidney
Partial nephrectomies are more challenging than radical nephrectomies, and the risks include bleeding and leaking urine from the kidney that remains. So, having this surgery in a centre with vast experience is essential.
Patient outcomes improve when surgeons who perform the highest volume of kidney surgery do partial nephrectomies, and all of our kidney cancer surgeons at the Royal Free are high-volume surgeons.
After care
You can expect tailored, comprehensive and compassionate aftercare following robotic surgery, consistent with any other surgery you might have at the Royal Free London PPU.
Our specialist surgeons work in teams who ensure the highest standards of care continue when you leave surgery and recover in the Royal Free Hospital.
During your one or two-night stay after robotic surgery, we will support your recovery and provide information about your healing. You can shower the day after your operation. When you get home, it is important to get on with your usual activities as your recovery happens. The only restrictions are to avoid driving or lifting anything heavy for two weeks.
Why choose Royal Free London for robotic surgery?
The Royal Free London is one of the world’s most famous teaching hospitals and houses one of Europe’s largest kidney cancer centres. We were one of the first hospitals in the UK to perform robot-assisted kidney transplants and have the most significant experience with robotic surgery in kidney cancer in the UK.
Private patients gain three main advantages when they opt for robotic-assisted surgery at Royal Free London PPU – considerably faster recovery times, decreased postoperative pain and fewer complications.
But it’s not just minimally invasive, more accurate robot-assisted surgery that will get you back on your feet quickly. Our four highly skilled and experienced robotic kidney surgery surgeons are leaders in their field and work with specialist teams to deliver comprehensive care.
With 24/7 access to 26 clinical specialities at the Royal Free, we can personalise your care and ensure you have the highest-quality treatments to support your recovery.
Meet our consultants
We work with leading experts who are all supported by the expertise of a multidisciplinary team. Our specialist team of doctors and surgeons includes:
Royal Free Hospital
The Private Patients Unit at the Royal Free Hospital was established in 1980.
The unit is part of the NHS and is wholly owned by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We offer you access to some of London’s most experienced specialists, all of whom work as NHS consultants at our facilities.

Further information and support
Related articles
- How the Royal Free became one of the first hospitals in the UK to carry out a kidney transplant using a surgical robot
- Amazing surgery leaves patient free from kidney pain
- How claustrophobia (and a robot) got Caroline back on her feet
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