What happens at Pre-Assessment

The pre-assessment appointment can take up to 2 hours. It will either be by telephone or video consultation or in person at one of the pre-assessment clinics.

You will fill in a form that tells us a bit more about you and your wishes whilst in hospital. If you are unable to complete this don't worry, the nurse will help you.

One of the nursing team will then take you through the pre-assessment process. This will involve asking questions about your general health, any tablets you are taking and your experience with previous anaesthetics.

You may need tests such as blood tests or a tracing of your heart (an ECG) and these are done at the clinic. One of the medical team may also perform a physical examination. Whether you have these tests or not will depend on your general health and the type of operation you are having. If you have a telephone or video assessment you will need to come to one of the sites to have these tests.

Occasionally we may arrange for you to have further tests or to be seen by one of our Consultants. This may be on the day of your appointment or we may ask you to come back at a later date to allow us to get all your results first.

We will also give you information on what to expect when you come to hospital for your operation and what the anaesthetic may involve. You will have the opportunity to ask us questions. You will be given instructions on fasting before your operation. If you are on certain drugs, we may advise you to make some changes to these before your operation such as stopping certain medicines. All of this information will be written down for you and you will be given both a telephone number and email address so you can contact us if you have any questions.

If you have any questions about your surgery, including when and where the operation is likely to be, please contact the relevant waiting list secretary.

We are always looking to improve our services, if you have any concerns or feedback, please contact us or let us know during your visit.