9th October 2012
Bristol Urological Institute: October Member of the Month
The Bristol Urological Institute is part of North Bristol NHS Trust, one of the largest healthcare provider trusts in the UK, and the largest trust in the South West with a projected income of £512m in 2011/12 and over 7,500 staff. Over 25,000 procedures and patient contacts are carried out each year in the Department of urology. This number is predicted to rise to over 34,000 next year when all the urological services in the city will be delivered from a single centre.
The BUI has two main clinical themes, functional urology and urological cancers, and three cross-cutting themes of education, research and technology development.
As a leader in the field of bladder and urinary tract disorders, the BUI has expertise in surgical intervention, drug treatment and therapies and devices for continence management. In this latter area, it has formed a strategic and operational alliance with the Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative to offer patient, clinical, regulatory, engineering design and business expertise to NHS, academic or industry-led technology development.
Urological surgery, for urological cancers and pelvic floor reconstruction, is a rapidly expanding area with an increase in demand and technological advancement. The field employs a wide range of procedures including open, laparoscopic and radiologically-guided intervention and is breaking new ground with the application of robotics in major surgery. The BUI has an international reputation for surgery, and is proud to be using the most advanced surgical technologies such as the da Vinci robot. It has also created an advanced cardiopulmonary exercise testing suite to minimise patient complications during the surgical journey. An exciting new venture is the development of a centre for innovative medical technology with the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. This will create a nidus for technology innovation in this field.
Prostate and bladder cancer are among the most common cancers, and the BUI has a track record of collaborating with universities and industry to develop and evaluate in-vitro diagnostics and prognostics for early, rapid diagnosis and to inform treatment. This is a hugely important to prevent unnecessary surgical interventions.
For industry we can deliver tailor-made courses for the training of sales teams, product developers and designers. Our modules include the anatomy and physiology of the bladder and urinary tract, urological diseases and the role of surgery, drugs and devices, as well as the role of clinical trials in device development and partnering with the NHS.
If you are interested in collaborating with the BUI or wish to know more about our training courses, device or drug evaluation, in vitro modelling or technology development services, please contact:
Adele Long, Director BUI-BioMed
Bristol Urological Institute, Southmead Hospital, Bristol BS10 5NB
Tel: 0117 323 5690/5526, Email: info@bui.ac.uk