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If day surgery does not have preoperative assessment within the unit, there must be an appropriate preoperative assessment service to support effective day surgery patient selection and preparation.

Support services including radiology, pharmacy and investigative laboratories should be available.

The facility to perform a 12-lead ECG and other point of care tests, such as international normalised ratio, should be available within the day surgery unit itself.

The day surgery unit requires sufficient numbers of IT equipment (computers, screens and mobile computers on wheels) to enable clinicians to access and input the electronic patient record in a timely manner.^5,8,12

The day surgery unit requires well-functioning WiFi to support the IT systems in place and maintain efficient running of the service.^5,8,12

Results from investigations should be available via the electronic patient record or via an appropriate IT system.¹⁶

The day surgery unit must have a clear action plan of what to do in case of failure of IT system and the need to revert temporarily to paper and any equipment or documents must be readily available (e.g drug kardexes).

The lower age limit for day surgery depends on the facilities and experience of the staff and the medical condition of the infant and proposed surgery. Infants aged less than 60 weeks postconceptual age are not normally considered unless medically fit and the unit has the appropriate expertise. Risks should be discussed with parents and carers on an individual basis.^32,33,42

For children, a staff member with an advanced paediatric life support qualification or an anaesthetist with paediatric competencies should be immediately available.^32,33,42

Infants with a history of chronic lung disease or apnoea should be managed in a centre equipped with facilities for postoperative ventilation.