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Recovery staff should have immediate access to the appropriate clinician in the perioperative period, e.g. anaesthetist, surgeon, radiologist.

Patients presenting with a neurological deficit should have immediate referral to a specialist unit and be discussed with the neurosurgical or spinal surgeon.

There should be a forum for discussion of matters relevant to both surgeons and anaesthetists, for example protocol development and critical incidents.

High-risk patients (5% or above mortality risk) or lower-risk patients undergoing high-risk surgery should receive direct consultant anaesthetist and consultant surgeon delivered care in the operating theatre.^2,178

There should be a multidisciplinary team approach to care for pregnant women requiring non-obstetric emergency surgery involving anaesthetists, obstetricians, surgeons, paediatricians and midwives.^184,185,186