Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust performed 12 Aquablation procedures for enlarged prostates on 18 October, the highest number carried out in a single day within the NHS in England. Eleven patients were discharged on the same day.

Nigel Howlett, 68, of Farnham in Surrey, had treatment on the record day after an 18-month wait. He said the condition had caused years of sleep disturbance and reduced fluid intake to manage the urge to urinate, and it had greatly affected his quality of life. He added that he hoped the procedure would bring noticeable relief and that he felt fine after the treatment and could go home the same day.

Aquablation therapy uses a heat-free high-pressure waterjet guided by real-time imaging to destroy excess prostate tissue, relieving symptoms and often allowing patients to be treated at home within a day. Frimley Health was the first NHS trust in England to adopt robotic Aquablation and has led early trials to develop the technique. The trust has treated more than 500 patients with Aquablation in the last five years. Neil Barber, consultant urological surgeon and the clinical lead for urology, said demand was increasing and that the day demonstrated the technology’s efficiency and predictability, with more than 90% of procedures being day cases. Most men with urinary symptoms will not require an operation; initial steps include lifestyle changes such as reducing alcohol and fizzy drinks, drinking more fibre, bladder training, and, if needed, medicines like diuretics or alpha blockers, or urinary catheters.