Lack of patient checks puts lives at risk

Patients not fit for day surgery could end up going under the knife because a significant number of hospitals do not routinely conduct pre-operative assessments to identify potential risks, a report has found.

The report also found that half the State’s hospitals have no protocols in place when determining which patients are suitable for day surgery across a range of procedures, including tonsillectomy, removal of breast lumps, and stripping of varicose veins.

The authors of the report noted that, in one hospital, the decision to list a patient for day surgery “appeared to come down to the overall ‘gut feeling’ of the clinician in the outpatients department”.