Thanks to our generous charity supporters, we fund new innovative technology that is not available through NHS funding alone. Take a look at just some of the charity funded new technology and innovations below.

Neuro Virtual Reality Training Simulator

Have you ever wondered how Neurosurgeons continue to develop their skills, or how trainee surgeons practice their neuro skills? The Walton Centre Charity have been able to purchase a Neuro Virtual Reality Training Simulator. This amazing tech allows surgeons to enter into a virtual reality space to practice surgery and learn new techniques, in a very realistic environment. Thanks to our generous supporters, we are the first and only NHS hospital to have this revolutionary technology. Watch the technology being used below:

Erigo Tilt Table

Imagine you have sustained a head or spinal injury, you may be conscious or minimally conscious, and you have been transferred from intensive care to The Walton Centre's hyperacute rehabilitation unit. Due to your injuries you cannot sit up, or stand, and you spend a long period time laying down in a hospital bed. This immobility can cause further problems to patients musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory systems. The Erigo Tilt Table is a fantastic new innovation that enables clinicians to combine physiotherapy techniques and manage patients in different positions, controlling the amount of physical and environmental stimulation they experience. Most excitingly, the robotics in the table allows patients to replicate a walking motion, to aid with their recovery.

Endoscopic equipment

Thanks to a significant legacy that was left to us, we have been able to fund specialist equipment that allows The Walton Centre to provide fully endoscopic spinal surgery to patients. This new innovative equipment allows our specialist surgeons to operate on patients using a keyhole method, which causes minimal trauma to patients, improves patient rehabilitation, and in some cases allows patients to return home on the same day as their surgery. The Walton Centre is only one of a handful of centres around the world offering this pioneering surgery, and has since earned Centre of Excellence status for this work. 

Intra-operative MRI scanner (iMRI)

What makes the Intra-operative MRI scanner different than standard MRI scanners? This amazing tech can be used during surgery! Traditionally, patients would undergo surgery, recover on a hospital ward, and then be MRI scanned to ensure all the tumor tissue had been removed and that the operation was successful. However, this could mean that patients would have to undergo multiple operations and have a longer stay in hospital. The iMRI system allows the surgeon to visualise more easily the extent and position of the tumour to ensure that all, or as much as possible, of the tumour is safely removed during the one operation. It has also allowed The Walton Centre to increase the number of patients they are able to treat, keeps the hospital at the forefront of neuroscience care, and helps achieve the best results for patients. A big thanks to the Marina Dalglish Appeal for their support with this project. 

Robotic Arm

With the charity funded Renishaw Neuromate Stereotactic Robot, neurosurgeons are able to precisely target areas of the brain to implant electrodes. This is especially important when patients are being investigated for epilepsy, and allows for a more precise and faster procedure for the patient.