Departments should be encouraged to maintain active links to national bodies and societies, e.g. NACCS Linkman Scheme, to facilitate national audit and dissemination of information.
Each department should provide written information specific to neurosurgical procedures, including relevant risks for surgery conducted in the prone position and postoperative visual loss (POVL).
All patients (and relatives where appropriate and relevant) should be fully informed about the planned procedure and be encouraged to be active participants in decisions about their care. Recommendations about the provision of information and consent processes outlined in chapter 2 should be followed.10
Although separate written consent for anaesthesia is not mandatory in the UK, there should be a written record of all discussions, including those of the requesting clinician, with patients undergoing sedation or anaesthesia for diagnostic procedures such as MRI scans. Discussion should include methods of induction, associated risks, side effects and potential benefits of the procedure. It is not the...
The scope of the authority that has been given by a patient should not be exceeded except in an emergency. In an emergency clinical situation in which it is not possible to find out a patient’s wishes, a patient should be treated without their consent, provided the treatment is immediately necessary to save their life or to prevent a serious...
The operating theatre, and anaesthetic room where available, should conform to Department of Health building standards and be appropriately maintained.7
There should be provision of an emergency call system, including an audible alarm.7 A visible indication of where the emergency is should also be considered.
The geographical arrangement of theatres, emergency departments, critical care units, cardiac care, interventional radiology and imaging facilities should allow for the rapid transfer of critically ill patients.7
The WHO sign in should take place before induction of anaesthesia.8
Anaesthetic sites must have scavenging systems that meet the Health and Safety Executive’s occupational exposure standards for anaesthetic agents.8
