Public hospital makes history with nation’s first emergency robotic surgery

Australia has reached a new milestone in surgical innovation, with Grampians Health’s Ballarat Base Hospital performing the nation’s first public emergency operation using a surgical robot.

The robot, affectionately named Joy after a retiring Nurse Unit Manager, was installed at the public hospital last year and has already assisted in more than 440 elective procedures. For the first time, it has now been used successfully in three emergency surgeries.

The inaugural case involved a patient admitted acutely under the Gastroenterology team. “A scan showed a complex bowel obstruction, which would normally require emergency open surgery,” explained Dr Carolyn Vasey, Colorectal Surgeon and Medical Lead for Robotic Surgery at Grampians Health.

Traditionally, a large bowel obstruction requires major open surgery, involving a large incision, extended hospitalisation, and a prolonged recovery. Robotic surgery, however, offers a minimally invasive alternative – smaller instruments, smaller incisions, less post-operative pain, and dramatically shorter hospital stays.

“The surgical robot has completely changed what I expect to see the day after a large bowel obstruction surgery. What truly amazed me after this procedure was seeing the patient the next day – sitting up, eating lunch, and giving me a high five,” said Dr Vasey.

The technology is already transforming practice across multiple disciplines.

“The surgical robot is currently being used across a broad range of surgical disciplines at Grampians Health, including colorectal, urology, upper gastrointestinal, hernia, thoracic surgery, and gynaecology oncology,” said Chief Medical Officer Matthew Hadfield. “With the robot now fully integrated into our practice, we’ve been exploring its potential for emergency procedures. There’s growing confidence in performing more selective emergency cases over the next six to twelve months.”

“We now have new surgeons trained on the robot, and we’re also training our registrars using our dual console,” said Dr Vasey. “This means our registrars are starting to get time on the console, allowing for a gradual and confident expansion of our skills across the whole team.”

Dr Vasey emphasised that the success of the program reflects not just surgical expertise, but organisation-wide collaboration.

“It’s not just the surgeons – it’s the anaesthetists, nursing staff, information technology, governance and credentialing, our executive team, and many others who have all been incredibly supportive. Having all these groups meet face to face and work together has allowed us to achieve more. It’s a real organisational strength.

“It’s a multi-specialty robotic program with a flat hierarchy. We all work together, and the strong local connections mean people are genuinely supportive of one another. That kind of teamwork is invaluable when building a robotic program like this.”

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