Search

Anaesthetists should have been trained in this field to the standards required by the Royal College of Anaesthetists.¹²

There should be adequate staffing levels provided within the department to ensure that there is minimal handover of patients between staff.³¹

Anaesthesia associates should work under the supervision of a consultant or autonomously practising anaesthetist at all times, as required by the RCoA.³²

The secondary recovery area in the day surgery unit (day surgery ward) should be staffed to match patients’ needs. Consideration should be given to the skill mix as well as numbers of staff.

The secondary recovery area in the day surgery unit (day surgery ward) should be staffed with adequate numbers of registered nurses or allied health professionals trained in nurse-led discharge.^5,25

When children are present on the unit, there should be a registered paediatric nurse present at all times. The Royal College of Nursing standards recommend two registered paediatric nurses at all times.^33,34,35

When children are present on the unit, support workers and health play specialists should play a key role within day surgery provision.³²

The ideal day surgery facility is a purpose built, self-contained, ring-fenced day surgery unit with its own preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative facilities. This unit may be contained within a main hospital or in its grounds to allow access to higher-level patient support services, if required, or it may be a freestanding unit remote from the main hospital site.^5,9,15,36

A viable  alternative is for patients to be admitted to and discharged from a dedicated day surgery ward, with surgery undertaken in the main theatre suite. This arrangement may be more flexible for complex surgery and avoids duplicating theatre skills and equipment. Day surgery patients should be prioritised as first on the main theatre list to allow recovery time for...

Daycase patients should only be channelled through inpatient wards in exceptional circumstances, as this greatly increases their chances of an unnecessary overnight stay.³⁷