A SURGICAL robot in Bradford has notched up its 500th operation.

Retired textiles worker David Graystock, who is 69 and lives in Thornton, was the patient and is now back at home and fully recovered after having the surgery for kidney cancer.

The robot, called da Vinci, meant Mr Graystock felt less pain and was up and about quicker after the advanced keyhole procedure than if he had undergone a conventional operation of being cut open.

Mr Graystock said he was not nervous at all when he was told a robot would be operating him.

The robot was docked onto him and then the procedure was carried out with the help of four robotic arms inserted into his body through tiny incisions.

Mr Graystock said: "I would definitely recommend this type of surgery. I was amazed at how quickly I recovered. I was up and about in no time at all. There have been great advances in surgery and the da Vinci robot is obviously one of them."

It was Sanjai Addla, one of the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's consultant urological robotic surgeons, who carried out Mr Graystock's operation, along with Rajindrah Singh and Rohit Chahal who have all be trained to use the robot at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI).

During the operation, Mr Addla sat at the robot's computer console to get a clear view of Mr Graystock's organs, nerves, blood vessels and muscles.

Mr Addla said: "This is the least type of invasive type of surgery and definitely the surgery of the future. There will come a time when it is rare for the patient to undergo an open abdominal operation, and just as rare to have conventional keyhole surgery.

"The da Vinci robot is a major and exciting advancement for urological cancer surgery here in Bradford."

The robot was installed at the BRI in 2012 and was partly funded by a £200,000 donation from the Sovereign Health Charitable Trust.

Bradford is the only centre in West Yorkshire offering this type of advanced robotic surgery for patients with bladder, prostrate and kidney cancers.