Last month we were delighted to welcome students and staff from the Pilton Bluecoat C of E Junior School to NDDH.

Ms Lizzy Elsey, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon visited the school earlier this year and gave an interactive presentation about the Intuitive DaVinci Xi robot used for a range of complex surgical procedures at NDDH.

In conjunction with the Trust, a competition was held to name the robot. The school’s team of digital champions, aged 7 - 11, came up with a shortlist of names.

They were then invited to visit the robot in person, where they also got to spend some time at the medical education centre and try some laparoscopic (key-hole) tasks.

At the end of the session, the team voted on a name for our brilliant robot. HERO (Helping Every Robotic Operator) was the winner, reflecting the life changing work we’re able to do with HERO’s help.

Thanks to our NDDH colleagues who so generously gave their time and energy, and welcomed the children with warmth, kindness and enthusiasm.

We look forward to future opportunities to work with our local schools to help inspire the next generation of robotic surgeons.