Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, joined West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Councillor Stephen Simkins, Leader of Wolverhampton Council, at New Cross Hospital on Wednesday to see how innovation is changing lives and supporting the NHS.
Dr Yat Li, consultant anaesthetist and chief clinical information officer at the Trust, spoke about its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to speed up administration processes to provide better patient care, with Mr Kyle and Mr Parker also able to try out the technology and see how it works.
He demonstrated CLEARNotes, which operate by listening to Doctor-patient conversations during a consultation and automatically generate a structured discussion summary, significantly reducing paperwork for clinicians.
He said: “CLEARNotes has improved clinic letter turnaround times from up to a week to just one to two days, and increased productivity by 25 per cent in one clinic, all while maintaining high standards of clinical safety and governance.
“We also use My Pre-Op which an online pre-operative assessment questionnaire that allows patients to fill in an assessment at home before their procedure.
“This reduces hospital visits and helps a patient be fit for surgery.”
Mr Kyle said he was very impressed by what he had seen and said it showed the innovation in the NHS, as well as the impact it will have on people.
He said: “It’s incredible because you get a sense of how much impact it has on people and we are standing in a room which is completely filled with machinery and technology, but never forget that, at the heart of it, is people.
“Because of this machinery, people will come in and will have a surgical experience where the incision will be smaller, the procedure will be faster and the time in which they will get home will be more rapid than ever before.
“I can never wrap my head around what it is surgeons do and how they do it and the sheer amount of skill that it takes to into someone’s body and do what they do to make us better again, but to see the harmony with which surgeons are now working with technology and robotics, also involving AI, is quite extraordinary.
“I would have absolute confidence if I were ever in a situation of being able to benefit from this technology and that is what I have a real sense of urgency, alongside the health minister and the Prime Minister, to get this technology out there benefiting everyone from every background in every part of our country.”
The hospital has two Da Vinci Xi robots working every week on cases in urology, colorectal, cardiothoracic and gynaecology surgery.
Compared to traditional keyhole surgery, robotic surgery allows greater dexterity and is easier to manipulate as the instruments are controlled by a surgeon at a console using a 3D camera.
Joe Chadwick-Bell, chief Executive of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said: “We were delighted to welcome Minister Kyle, Councillor Simkins and Mr Parker to the Trust and showcase all our digital advancements, demonstrating how they translate into real benefits for patients.”
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Health-tech is about better care for patients, shorter waiting times and more good jobs here in the West Midlands.
“I think it’s fantastic technology, leading edge technology, and we’ve talked with the surgeons about the precision surgery that this robot can perform is improving the care of patients and improving their recovery times and driving efficiencies.
“Through my Growth Plan, we are making this one of the best places in the country to develop and roll out new treatments, from expanding our innovation clusters to supporting local medtech businesses to grow and export.
“The technology I’ve seen today is proof that when we back science, patients and the economy both win.”
Councillor Simkins said: “I was absolutely blown away with the visit today.
“The sky is the limit with the potential there is using this fantastic technology in the NHS, not just for patient care but also providing jobs in the city.”