Clinique Urologique Nantes Atlantis chooses versatility

This month we celebrated an exciting new partnership with Clinique Urologique Nantes Atlantis , an internationally renowned institution in the field of urology, which has chosen the Versius robot to continue and accelerate its urologic robotic surgery programme.

The private clinic prioritises offering care at the cutting edge of innovation, through the integration of new technologies that it tests and validates, supporting a range of urological treatments. After having a surgical robotics programme for over 10 years, striving for excellence, Clinique Urologique Nantes Atlantis was looking for a versatile system to improve internal and external collaboration during complex procedures. Our open console was the perfect answer, improving communication between the teams and the visitors or experts.

This is the feedback coming from our customers too. On why they chose Versius, General Manager of the Clinique Urologique Nantes Atlantis, Camilla Belbeoc'h, stated: “Flexible and versatile, the Versius robot has the advantage of combining performance with ease of learning. Versius is also the only small, modular, and portable surgical robot on the market, which makes it easier for surgical teams to use and gives them greater flexibility in operating theatre scheduling. It also optimises communication between teams in the operating theatre. All these advantages are beneficial to our carers and our patients."

Versius was installed in the hospital in Nantes, the 6th largest city in France towards the end of June, with first procedures started in early September. Since then, the seven surgeons from the clinic, who are also shareholders – a testament to the value they see in the system – have carried out over 40 procedures, helping to bring the benefits of robotic-assisted minimal access surgery (MAS) to patients globally.

Since initial implementation our team has received strong positive feedback. CME Chairman Thierry Rousseau shared: “Initial feedback from teams and patients alike has been excellent. The system's performance, both in terms of ergonomics and analysis of the surgical procedure, will enable us to successfully pursue our mission of offering our patients the very best in surgery.”

With every new partnership and installation of Versius, our aim is to support improved surgical standards, and the delivery of the best quality surgical care to patients. This is why we are delighted to be working alongside the highly qualified teams at Clinique Urologique Nantes-Atlantis, and to be able to bring the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to more patients thanks to Versius. Partnering with such a centre of excellence in Europe and among the leaders in its discipline in France is an important milestone for us in France, and we look forward to working with them as they continue to grow their robotic surgery programme.

Celebrating innovation in the UK with our new manufacturing facility

This month we marked the opening of our new global manufacturing hub, inviting senior NHS stakeholders to celebrate how the NHS has adopted Versius, a British innovation. Based in Cambridgeshire, our manufacturing site houses CMR's production, quality, manufacturing engineering, supply, operations, and logistics, The open day was attended by surgeons, NHS executives, robotic surgery experts, and healthcare leaders from across the UK and Ireland, and represented a commitment from CMR to home-grown innovation from the UK.

?Currently, there are twenty NHS hospital partnerships – including Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Addenbrooke’s hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals; and Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – using Versius. The Ely site is the first UK surgical robotics manufacturing facility further strengthens the UK ecosystem for developing and adopting new innovation.

At the event, we welcomed Professor Tony Young , the National Clinical Lead for Innovation at NHS England who spoke to attendees about the future of healthcare in the UK, and it’s potential as a robotics powerhouse. David Lawson MCIPS , the Director of Medical Technology at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) talked about the department’s new MedTech strategy, and how it aims to make the regulatory environment in the UK the best place for innovation globally. We also heard from Barrie Keeler, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Robotics Lead at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH), who spoke about the profound impact Versius has had for patients and surgical teams alike at MKUH.

Paralympic medallist George Peasgood visits CMR?

On Tuesday 17 October we were privileged to welcome Paralympic athlete George Peasgood to our Cambridge HQ to speak to the CMR team as part of our partnership with ParalympicsGB . George is a two-time medal winner from Tokyo 2020 where he competed in Triathlon and Cycling Road time trial. In October 2022, George sustained a near-fatal bike crash, and almost a year on, his recovery has been phenomenal. He has started training again on a static bike and is swimming, despite the significant trauma experienced as a result of the crash and says sport will play a big part in that recovery for him.

George talked about how he is his own motivation after coming out of a 49-day coma and is on his journey to recovery. Resilience and mindset are something that everyone talks about, but George is demonstrating it by breaking down the significant barriers he has faced despite all the challenges thrown at him.

It was great to have George share his incredible story of overcoming adversity with our teams from all around the world. Thank you, George, for sharing your inspiring story and joining us in-person to meet the team and Versius!

Surgical robo-talks: ASiT x CMR Podcast

October marked the official launch of the new Surgical robo-talks podcast! Launched in partnership with the Association of Surgeons in Training, the 6-part series explores the current status of robotic surgery in surgical training, and what is needed to make robotic surgery more accessible to trainees and how it could be incorporated into surgical training pathways.

Hosted by CMR’s Jessica Butterworth PhD , episodes 1 and 2 featuring guest co-hosts CMR’s Chief Medical Officer & Co-founder Dr Mark Slack , Academic Colorectal Registrar, Past President of ASiT and Director of Education for The RCS England Innovation Hub, Josh Burke , and Consultant Gynaecological, Pelvic Robotic & Laparoscopic Surgeon, Nahid Gul FRCOG , are now live wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Find out more about the podcast and links to listen here.