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Guidelines for postoperative planning should include plans for nutrition, including facilitation of enteral access or vascular access for parenteral support.^185,186,187

Day surgery should be a consultant led service (surgical and anaesthetic) with a dedicated clinical lead or clinical director who has programmed activities allocated to the role within their job plan.^8,9,10

An appropriately skilled and experienced resident anaesthetist should be available at all times to care for postoperative and emergency patients. The experience and skills necessary to provide this cover are not usually found in training grades below ST3.

High quality anaesthesia is pivotal to achieving successful outcomes following day surgery. The majority of anaesthesia for day surgery should be delivered by consultant anaesthetists.^15,16 staff grade, associate specialist and specialty doctors (SAS) grade doctors and experienced trainee anaesthetists may also provide anaesthesia for day surgery. However, these doctors should be suitably experienced and skilled in...

Anaesthetists should have been trained in this field to the standards required by the Royal College of Anaesthetists.¹³

Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) should work under the supervision of a consultant anaesthetist at all times as required by the RCoA.¹⁹

Preoperative assessment clinics should have a nominated consultant or SAS lead, and be delivered by a team specifically trained in preoperative assessment and preparation for day surgery.⁷

Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of drug errors and drug interactions. Pathways should ensure drug reconciliation, which is vital to these at risk patients.³⁸

The secondary recovery area in the day surgery unit should be staffed to match patients’ needs and consideration should be given to the skill mix as well as numbers of staff.²⁰

The secondary recovery area in the day surgery unit should be staffed with adequate numbers of registered nurses trained in nurse-led discharge.²⁰