The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow has become the first in the world to have a surgical robot dedicated exclusively to helping children, and will use the Versius Plus robot for paediatric surgery following a pledge of more than £1.5m from the Coldstones Charitable Trust.
The robot can provide greater access during keyhole surgery and will help with operations for complex cancer, urology, abdominal, thoracic and gastrointestinal conditions. Doctors at the hospital say it can provide enhanced precision while reducing pain, minimising scarring and getting patients back to their everyday lives quicker.
The Coldstones Charitable Trust pledged more than £1.5m to Hi Scotland, the innovation arm of the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, to fund the paediatric robotic surgery programme. An evaluation phase saw surgeons perform more than 30 procedures with the robot, and the first case of a child in the UK undergoing surgery with the Versius device occurred in 2024, after several surgeries with adults. While the system is available to some paediatric patients elsewhere through shared systems or facilities in larger adult hospitals, Glasgow is believed to be the first dedicated children's hospital in the world to purchase and own the system solely for paediatric patients.
Michael Jacovides, consultant paediatric surgeon and clinical lead for the robotic surgery programme, said: "Robotic assisted surgery will increasingly be part of caring for children in the future and I am excited it is already here for the children of Glasgow. We are developing our service to cover more conditions, and to offer it to more children and babies across Scotland." He said the presence of the robot was owed to their charity and sponsor, that they were proud to have established Glasgow as a leader in the field, and that they were working with partners nationally and internationally so these technologies become more widely used.
Kirsten Watson, chief executive of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, said: "This extraordinary donation from the Coldstones Charitable Trust is enabling something genuinely pioneering for children's healthcare. By funding the purchase of the Versius Plus system, they are helping establish a world-first dedicated paediatric programme based around this technology."
The Coldstones Charitable Trust aims to provide financial support to different charitable organisations.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The programme is believed to be the first time a dedicated children's hospital owns a surgical robot solely for paediatric patients, rather than relying on shared systems or adult hospital facilities.
- Robotic assisted surgery is expected to become an increasing part of children's care, and the clinical lead says the service will expand to more conditions and to more children and babies across Scotland.
- The programme was funded entirely through a charitable donation of more than £1.5m, showing how philanthropy can bring advanced surgical technology to a children's hospital.
Background
Robot-assisted surgery uses computer-guided instruments to give surgeons enhanced precision and access during keyhole procedures. The Versius device was first used on a child in the UK in 2024, after earlier adult surgeries, and paediatric patients elsewhere have typically been treated through shared systems or larger adult hospitals. The Coldstones Charitable Trust, which funded Glasgow's programme, provides financial support to different charitable organisations.
Key Perspectives
Michael Jacovides, consultant paediatric surgeon and clinical lead: says robotic assisted surgery will increasingly be part of caring for children, that he is excited it is already available for the children of Glasgow, and that the service is being developed to cover more conditions and reach more children and babies across Scotland.
Kirsten Watson, chief executive of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity: calls the donation "genuinely pioneering for children's healthcare" and says it is helping establish a world-first dedicated paediatric programme based around the Versius Plus system.
What to Watch
- The expansion of the service to more conditions and to children and babies across Scotland, which the clinical lead said is in development.
- How the programme performs as it moves from the 30-procedure evaluation phase into routine use.
- Whether the national and international partnerships the team says it is pursuing lead to wider adoption of the technology in other children's hospitals.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedGlasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children has become the first in the world to have a surgical robot dedicated exclusively to helping children.BBC Scotland: “A hospital in Glasgow has become the first in the world to have a surgical robot dedicated exclusively to helping children.”
- SupportedThe hospital is to use the Versius Plus robot for paediatric surgery after a pledge of more than £1.5m from the Coldstones Charitable Trust.BBC Scotland: “The Coldstones Charitable Trust pledged more than £1.5m to Hi Scotland, the innovation arm of the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, to fund the paediatric robotic surgery programme.”
- SupportedThe robot can provide greater access during keyhole surgery and help with operations for complex cancer, urology, abdominal, thoracic and gastrointestinal conditions.BBC Scotland: “The robot can provide greater access during keyhole surgery and will help with operations for complex cancer, urology, abdominal, thoracic and gastrointestinal conditions.”
- SupportedDoctors at the hospital said the robot can improve precision, reduce pain and scarring, and help patients return to everyday life quicker.BBC Scotland: “Doctors at the hospital said the robot can provide enhanced precision while reducing pain, minimising scarring, and getting patients back to their everyday lives quicker.”
- SupportedSurgeons performed more than 30 procedures with the robot during an evaluation phase.BBC Scotland: “An evaluation phase was carried out which saw surgeons perform more than 30 procedures with the robot.”
- SupportedThe first UK case of a child undergoing surgery with Versius occurred in 2024, after several surgeries with adults.BBC Scotland: “The first case of a child in the UK undergoing surgery with Versius occurred in 2024, after several surgeries with adults.”
- SupportedThe hospital is believed to be the first dedicated children's hospital in the world to purchase and own the system solely for paediatric patients.BBC Scotland: “Glasgow is believed to be the first dedicated children's hospital in the world to purchase and own the system solely for paediatric patients.”
- SupportedMichael Jacovides, consultant paediatric surgeon and clinical lead for the robotic surgery programme, said robotic-assisted surgery would increasingly be part of caring for children and that he was excited it was already in Glasgow.BBC Scotland: “Robotic assisted surgery will increasingly be part of caring for children in the future and I am excited it is already here for the children of Glasgow.”
- SupportedJacovides said the robot’s presence was owed to the charity and sponsor, and that the hospital was proud to establish Glasgow as a leader and was working with partners to widen use of the technologies.BBC Scotland: “We owe the presence of the robot to our charity and our sponsor. We are proud to have established Glasgow as a leader in this field, and we are working with partners nationally and internationally so these technologies become more widely used.”
- SupportedKirsten Watson, chief executive of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, called the donation extraordinary and said it was enabling pioneering children's healthcare and helping establish a world-first dedicated paediatric programme.BBC Scotland: “This extraordinary donation from the Coldstones Charitable Trust is enabling something genuinely pioneering for children's healthcare.”
- SupportedThe Coldstones Charitable Trust aims to provide financial support to different charitable organisations.BBC Scotland: “The Coldstones Charitable Trust aims to provide financial support to different charitable organisations.”
