THE Iceni Centre – a joint project between Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust and Anglia Ruskin University – is the only one of its kind in the UK.

It will be used to train surgeons in keyhole procedures involving small incisions rather than large cuts, so there is less post-operative wound pain, bleeding and risk of infection Health Secretary Mr Lansley said the centre would have huge financial benefits, by attracting surgeons from across the world and providing the model for education and training within the NHS.

Mr Lansley and guests at the launch watched live, via conference facilities, laparoscopic hernia surgery being carried out at Colchester General.

The Cabinet member unveiled a plaque.

He also used equipment in the centre’s skills laboratory and mock operating theatre – the only one in the country – where he practised a simulation of bowel cancer surgery.

The hospital has the UK’s highest concentration of advanced laparoscopic surgeons and performs more procedures across more disciplines than any other hospital.

Colchester hospital trust chairman Sally Irvine said: “The hospital helped pioneer use of keyhole surgery in the UK and has built an international reputation – both in the operating theatre and in training laparoscopic surgeons.

“Minimally-invasive surgery has many benefits for patients and results in greater efficiency because it reduces the time they spend in hospital and, therefore, the cost of hospital stays, freeing beds for other patients.”