Formula One designer Gordon Murray and his wife Stella have funded a surgical robot for Royal Surrey to help more patients benefit from advances in care
A personal donation from Formula One designer Professor Gordon Murray CBE and his wife Stella has funded a multimillion-pound surgical robot for Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, following his treatment for oesophageal cancer.
The couple’s gift to Royal Surrey Charity has paid for a da Vinci 5 surgical system, strengthening an established NHS programme in which more than 30 surgeons perform robotic-assisted procedures. The Trust has carried out more than 10,000 operations using the technology.
Murray underwent surgery with an earlier da Vinci Xi system in 2024, following a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. His experience of treatment and recovery prompted the couple to consider how they could help other patients. Initially, the Murrays considered funding a robot through their wills, before deciding to make the donation during their lifetimes so patients could benefit immediately.
A personal thank you
The gift also recognises the people involved throughout Gordon’s treatment, from diagnosis and chemotherapy to surgery and recovery. “They were all lovely, lovely people. So it’s a thank you to everybody really,” he says.
His cancer was identified during an endoscopy to monitor longstanding acid reflux, almost a decade after his brother Terry died from the disease. Professor Shaun Preston performed the robotic-assisted operation, and within months Murray had returned to working ten-hour days designing high-performance cars.
Robotic-assisted surgery allows clinicians to perform complex procedures through small incisions, controlling instruments from a console. For suitable patients, the approach can support shorter hospital stays and faster recovery.
A gift for future patients
On 12 October, Gordon and Stella visited Royal Surrey to see the system their donation had funded and tour its forthcoming Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre.
They also met a patient who had undergone surgery using the new robot and was preparing to go home, giving the couple an opportunity to see their donation’s impact.
In recognition of their generosity, Murray was invited to help name the Trust’s robotic systems. The new machine is called George after his friend George Harrison, the Beatles guitarist who died from cancer. Three others are named John, Paul and Ringo, while a fifth is called Bob after Bob Dylan.
The donation will extend the benefits of the couple’s decision beyond that first visit. “There is no doubt that the impact of this gift will be felt by thousands of patients and their families for many years to come,” says Louise Stead, Group Chief Executive of Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust.
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