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When I returned to my role as a CR&I/RCoA perioperative quality improvement programme (PQIP) fellow, I found this came with unique expectations and required planning. Hopefully by sharing what I learnt, it will help those who are returning to work after a period of leave, especially those returning to job roles that do not necessarily fit the norm.

Returning to work: general things to consider

When RTW there are key dates and tasks to consider. Table 1 details some of the things that need to be arranged and when these need to be done. There are also many resources to consult (see below ). Using these in conjunction with your hospital policy is a good starting point.

As a medical student, someone once told me that helping patients stop smoking was the single best intervention available to us as doctors. I’ve never found a reference for that, but it stuck with me.

While I might not have the evidence for my claim, we do know that each year, smoking-related disease costs the NHS £2.6 billion and causes up to 76,000 deaths. The good news is that rates of smoking are decreasing each year, with the latest figure at 12.9%.

Aside from the general health benefits of quitting, several specific perioperative outcomes exist.