NHSE announces preoperative care to support patients ahead of surgery
From April 2023, the perioperative care teams will also help identify low-risk patients who do not need to attend face-to-face preoperative assessments, as well as those who could be treated in elective hubs rather than hospital.
Yesterday NHS England announced that patients waiting for major surgery will be given extensive support from dedicated optimisation teams to ensure they are prepared and fit for surgery. A third of on-the-day cancellations are due to people not being clinically ready for treatment.
The news explains that the NHS Elective Recovery care plan will shortly be published and this will further outline the detailed plans to screen and support appropriate patients preoperatively.
"The initiative will boost people’s chances of recovering quickly from treatment as well as cutting the number of operations that are cancelled on the day.
Earlier pre-operative screening will also help identify patients with additional health needs who would benefit from extra support both before and after surgery, such as help to stop smoking or get physically fitter, or engagement with mental health services.
Patients who are not fully ready for treatment are at greater risk of significant complications after surgery, which can result in a hospital admission up to three times longer than average and can lead to longer term health problems and reduced chances of survival.
The dedicated care teams will be in place from April 2023, forming part of a major package of initiatives to be set out in the upcoming NHS Elective Recovery Plan.
This includes the rollout of more than 100 community diagnostic centres and extra surgical hubs, all backed by billions of pounds of additional investment."
