Treatment Centre
What to expect on the day
You will have been asked to attend Treatment Centre at 07.00 or 12.00. This is not the time of your surgery- the surgeons and anaesthetic team need to carryout a pre-assessment and your nurse will need to complete the admission paperwork with you. The surgical team will decide the order of the list on the day. For example, there may be 6 people on one list, and the surgical team will decide on the day which order of operating is most appropriate. We will do our best to keep you comfortable during your wait. We will not be able to tell you the exact time of your surgery, or the time you will be discharged home.
Admission
All patients coming into the unit require a negative COVID-19 result within the last 72 hours. If you do not have a valid result, your surgery may be cancelled, or we may be able to do a rapid COVID-19 swab, where we receive the results within 2 hours. If you require a rapid swab, we will isolate you in a cubicle until your result is back.
We cannot allow relatives into the unit. This is in order to keep staff and patients safe as we are a COVID-19 ‘green’ unit.
Patients having a general anaesthetic need an escort to collect them and stay with them for 24 hours post-operatively. If you do not have someone to stay with you, your surgery may be cancelled. We will contact all patient’s escorts when they are ready to be collected from hospital.
When you are being admitted to the Treatment Centre, you will be asked to get changed into two hospital gowns and surgical socks. All jewellery and nail varnish must be removed. Your property will be locked away during your operation.
Discharge
Depending on your surgery, you may need some physiotherapy before you are discharged home. Some patients will need to be admitted overnight, but you will usually be informed of this at your pre-op assessment.
If you are going home the same day, we will give you something to eat and drink, a discharge summary, and medicines to take home if the doctors feel this is necessary. Sometimes there can be a wait for pharmacy to prepare the medicines. We will then call your escort to come and pick you up. Depending on your surgery, you will have some follow-up appointments which the hospital will arrange. Please ask your nurse if you have any questions.