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When emergency cases are booked, they must be able to access theatre in an appropriate time frame. Assessing the operational pressure on the emergency theatre is a complex calculation considerate of the number of cases booked, their acuity, and expected duration. 

The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) uses a classification for surgical urgency based on the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) and Surviving Sepsis.¹

• 1: Immediate (<2 hours)
• 2a: Urgent (2–6 hours)
• 2b: Urgent (6–18 hours)
• 3: Expedited (>18 hours).

Winter can be hard for many of us, with the combination of longer nights, shorter days and the rounds of respiratory infections that come our way.

It can help to think of wellbeing as a balance between restorative and protective activities and those activities that are draining or reinvigorating. These are, of course, different for each of us and so the best person to advise you on what works for you is yourself. That said, there are some simple steps that are likely to pay real dividends and help you thrive through the long dark winter months.