Joined-up care needed for high-risk surgical patients
The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) has shared its vision for the future of high-risk perioperative healthcare provision across the UK.
Speaking at a stakeholder event, President of the RCoA Dr J. P. van Besouw said: “With more than ten million patients undergoing surgery each year in the NHS, approximately 15% of whom are deemed to be high-risk, a care pathway that can harness multi-disciplinary working, reduce variation and improve patient outcomes must be our goal.”
Health experts at the event highlighted the scale of the unmet need for the high-risk surgical patient and the future principles for a more efficient and effective care pathway.
The RCoA proposed that care pathways designed around the individual needs of the complex surgical patient and delivered by a multidisciplinary perioperative care team would enable patients to receive the most appropriate care possible. They emphasised that anaesthetists are uniquely positioned to lead such teams and to ensure a better continuum of care for patients, before, during and after surgery. Such an integrated approach should minimise inappropriate care, reduce cancellations, complications and readmissions and ensure quicker…
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