Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask NHS England to amend Specialised Services Circular 1407 to allow NHS trusts to continue to train surgeons on the use of robotic assisted surgery in the absence of a national commissioning policy.

NHS England Robotic Assisted Surgery: New Market Entrants (specialised services circular SSC 1407) does not ask National Health Service trusts to stop training surgeons in the use of robotic assisted surgery; where robotic equipment is in use this should be supported by continuous prospective audit and learning.