A Patient's Guide to Having a Day Surgery Procedure

• If you are a smoker, you are advised to please stop smoking as soon as you can as it reduces a risk of developing various complications after your operation. Obtain smoking cessation advice from your G.P.
• Please stop taking any complementary or alternative medications, one week before admission
• Pre-Operative assessment will advise you on your regular medication
• Please remove any nail varnish and/or acrylic nails
• Continue physical activity or exercise that you are normally able to before operation.

• Slippers/Supportive shoe to support mobility
• Dressing gown
• You MUST bring your own medicines in their original packaging (including any inhalers, drops, insulin pens, etc.) and the most recent list of your prescriptions that your pharmacy will have provided to you. If you are able to take paracetamol and/or ibuprofen, please ensure you have a supply of these for use at home in advance of your procedure date. These medicines can be readily purchased from a local community pharmacy.

• Valuables
• Large sums of money
• Food and drink.

• It is essential you have a shower / bath before you leave for the hospital
• Arrive early.

Instructions for fasting or ‘nil by mouth’ before surgery. It is vital to fast for a certain period of time before administration of general anaesthesia or sedation for an elective surgery as follows:

To avoid cancellation on the day of surgery (CT is the exception):

• Do not eat any solid or liquid food or drinks containing milk after midnight 00:00 on the day of surgery. You can drink only water or clear fluids (but not fizzy drinks or drinks containing milk) up until 06:00 on the day of surgery.
•  After 06:00am - you can continue sipping water, no more than 100ml per hour.

NOTE: If you were given any instructions from pre-assessment as regards any medicines, please follow this advice. You will be given further instruction on arrival to the Day Surgery Unit.

You will be contacted by the pre-operative assessment team ahead of your admission date to ensure that you are medically fit for your procedure or operation. The date for your surgery / procedure is provisional pending the outcome of your pre-operative assessment.

You will be called 24-48 hours before your procedure by a member of the Day Surgery Unit to help prepare you for your admission and answer any questions you may have.

NOTE: Please be aware that your hospital stay may last the entire ay, so it’s advisable to clear your schedule for the day of your admission.

NOTE: The most common reason for cancellation on the day of surgery is that you are unwell.  If you develop a new infection or any other changes in your heath including A & E  or urgent GP attendance you MUST call the scheduler or pre-operative assessment. This will enable us to determine if your admission would need to be rescheduled and to avoid vital surgery time is not wasted.

Please Note: Main access is via our RNOH Scanning Department Entrance on Wood Lane Entrance, HA7 4AP. THIS IS A DROP OFF POINT ONLY and there is no parking available in this area. For access, please press the Adult Day Case Unit buzzer.  There is parking available within the main site.  If you are likely to require assistance with your mobility, please report to the Main Outpatient entrance where you can call for a porter. 

Please Note: The Main Outpatient Entrance is closed over the weekend

Follow signs to the Day Surgery Unit (DSU) which is clearly signposted on the slope Unit 5, where you will then be admitted for your procedure.

• You will be met by the nursing team who will complete your admissions documentation.
• You will be seen by your consultant surgeon or their deputy and Consultant Anaesthetist or their deputy who will assess you, explain the procedure and ask you to sign a consent form for the surgery and anaesthetic.

• It is essential you pass urine
• Have something to eat and drink
• Your pain needs to be managed to an acceptable level
• You will have a chance to discuss any post-operative care with the nursing team
• You will be seen by a therapist if required.

[• It is essential you have someone to collect you from the hospital as you are unable travel alone in a taxi or by public transport ]

• Transport patients PLEASE ensure you book a return journey.

Hospital transport booking on the day is not available

• You are unable drive for 48 hours following your general anaesthetic

• You MUST have 24-hour supervision by a responsible adult following discharge.

The following instructions are strongly advised for 24 hours after your operation / procedure:

• Intake any form of alcohol is prohibited

• You SHOULD NOT operate any machinery

• It is NOT advisable to sign any legal documentation.

In the unlikely event that the surgeon or anaesthetist does not feel you are fit to go home, an overnight admission will be arranged. Your surgeon will advise you whether time off work is required.

A member of the Day Surgery Unit team will call you one to two days after surgery to see how you are getting on. You will also be given a number to call with any queries relating to your surgery.

Out of hours: Specialist teams are not available out of hours and patients are advised to call 111 for advice and 999 for medical emergency. If you wish to contact hospital out of hours, you could call RNOH switchboard on 020 3947 0100 and ask for AIT (Acute Intervention Team).

We hope this information has been helpful in preparing you for your stay at our hospital. If you require any further information, please contact pre-operative assessment on 020 8909 5630, or the Day Surgery Unit on 020 8909 5663.