Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new digital pre-operative assessment (POA) pathway to improve operating theatre utilisation by filling last-minute surgery slots and reducing the number of face-to-face appointments the department processes.
The project is part of the trust’s drive to create a more efficient theatre booking pathway by creating a pool of ‘pre-op ready’ patients that consultants can use to create theatre lists and fill last-minute surgery slots
Digitising the pre-operative assessment process will also allow consultants and anaesthetists to access full patient notes from any of the trust’s four main hospital sites.
The project has been rolled out across North Tyneside General Hospital, Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, Hexham General Hospital and Wansbeck General Hospital, giving staff across all four hospitals secure access to patient records and a real-time view of each patient’s status through the pre-operative pathway.
Idris Wilson, operational services manager, emergency surgery & elective care at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The pre-op assessment department faces high volumes of last-minute requests for patient appointments. Any delays in the pathway, including last-minute transportation of notes, can often result in delays in theatre starting.
As part of the project, patients waiting for surgery will also be able to complete their POA health questionnaire at home via a secure link on the trust’s website.
Results are then sent to the trust’s pre-operative assessment department where staff can triage and swim-lane patients into the correct fitness and readiness categories.
