A new robotic navigation system is helping to improve complex spinal surgery at a hospital in Taunton.
The technology, introduced at Musgrove Park Hospital, is now being used following an £835,000 donation from the hospital's League of Friends.
The grant fully funded the system, which guides surgeons during spinal fusion operations.
Clinton Rogers, president of the League of Friends, said: "A couple of years ago, we donated £1.5m to buy a state-of-the-art surgical robot which is now being used in a number of different surgical disciplines across the hospital.
"To be able now to fund a second robotic system to support cutting-edge spinal surgery is a huge honour for us.
"When the surgical teams came to explain the enormous benefits to us – not just for patients but surgeons as well – it was frankly a no-brainer.
"Our mission has always been to help provide the very best surgical care at Musgrove.
"This is a massive step forward."
Musgrove Park Hospital, part of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, has now become only the second hospital of its size, outside of the large teaching hospitals, to have access to the advanced technology.
Ashok Subramanian, consultant spinal surgeon at the hospital, said the system improves both the safety and speed of complex spinal procedures.
He said: "We want to say a huge thank you to the League of Friends and its supporters for this very generous donation, which will benefit the many patients now and in the future.
“We’ve introduced a navigation unit with a robotic arm that helps our surgeons guide and insert pedicle screws, which are surgical implants used in a spinal fusion to stabilise a patient’s vertebrae."
The system also improves the long-term safety of theatre staff by removing the need for repeated X-rays.
Mr Subramanian said: "We don’t need to use X-ray during the operation either, so there’s less radiation, not only for the patient, but also our colleagues in the operating theatre, reducing the risk of radiation induced cancer.
"In addition, they don’t need to use the heavy lead aprons, so they’re at less risk of back pain and other occupational injuries."
