Limerick hospital expands access to robotic-assisted surgery for public patients

New robotic surgery programme at St John’s Hospital aims to widen access, shorten recovery times, and improve patient outcomes

Prof Christina Fleming and Barry Kelly at St John’s Hospital Limerick. Picture: Brian Arthur.

St John’s Hospital in Limerick is the first Model 2 hospital in Ireland to offer robotic-assisted procedures to public patients.

The new surgery programme broadens patient access to advanced precision technology, with the aim of improving outcomes and shortening recovery times.

The initiative, sponsored by the JP McManus Pro-Am 2022, changes how patients access surgical care in the region.

So far, 12 patients have undergone procedures, with the first cases successfully completed at St John’s in January 2026.

The hospital is currently focusing on general surgery and colorectal patients, with plans to expand to gynaecology and urology services.

The first patient to undergo a robotic-assisted procedure at the hospital was Barry Kelly from Miltown Malbay, Co Clare.

Prof Christina Fleming carried out a robotic inguinal hernia repair on Mr Kelly, for whom a shorter recovery time was a key consideration as he is a GAA referee.

“Once she (Prof Fleming) said I would be the first one done in St John’s, I said ‘we’ll definitely have a go so’. The Clare lads like to get in first,” said Mr Kelly.

“This is the world we are living in now with robotics and technology. It’s the way forward. The main benefit for me was I was out quicker. I was actually home on the same day. That’s how good it is.

"Another big plus for me was that meant a bed was freed up for someone else. When you think of hospitals, you think of overcrowding and elderly people who are waiting for a bed. But I was on my way home at 6pm and I wasn’t taking up a bed when there are plenty who need it more than me". 

Robotic surgery in Ireland has to date largely been the domain of private healthcare and large teaching hospitals such as University Hospital Limerick (UHL). 

With the introduction of the Versius system in Limerick, the Mid-West is becoming a “more attractive region” for surgeons in which to work and train.

General colorectal surgeon and Foundation Chair of Surgery at the University of Limerick’s School of Medicine, Prof J Calvin Coffey, has pioneered the delivery of robotic-assisted surgery for patients in the Mid-West since 2016.

Prof Coffey said: “Until now, robotic surgery has largely been reserved for long, complex procedures in major university hospitals. However, the majority of operations are shorter and less complex. The introduction of Versius changes that. It brings the benefits of robotic precision — smaller incisions, faster recovery, earlier discharge — to a much broader group of patients. In practical terms, it means more people can return to their families and normal lives sooner.”

Chief Executive Officer, St John’s Hospital, Emer Martin, added: “From the clinicians to the various healthcare partners involved, everyone has been very supportive of this initiative. It has been very beneficial for our surgical team, collaborating with colleagues in the Mid West health region to deliver on this great project together."