Day surgery involves being admitted for surgery and discharged in the same day. Patients overwhelmingly endorse day surgery because it provides timely treatment, less risk of last minute cancellation, lower incidence of hospital acquired infections and earlier return to normal activities.
Day Surgery is becoming more and more common with a staggering 71% of all elective surgery performed as day cases in this Trust in the financial year 2009/10.
Day surgery is provided within the Trust on four sites, Darlington Memorial, University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland and Shotley Bridge Hospitals, bringing state of art treatment and personalised care closer to home.
Within the Trust day surgery is provided in dedicated units with waiting areas and rooms for private consultation. At Darlington Memorial and University Hospital of North Durham the units are integrated with short stay beds allowing an overnight stay if required.
As per the recommendations from the British Association of Day Surgery, it is a separate directorate within the Surgical Division with a dedicated manager. Patients are given individualised care by nursing and medical staff highly experienced in this speciality. The multidisciplinary team where appropriate can tailor care to suit you and your individual needs. Staff take every opportunity to provide a non-clinical atmosphere whenever possible.
Patients are assessed to ascertain fitness prior to their procedure by dedicated nurses. At this time you will have the opportunity to ask any questions about your surgical procedure, anaesthetic or post operative recovery. Therefore you can expect to be given clear individualised verbal and written instructions both before and after to your procedure.
The development of the "Admissions Lounges" within day surgery at Darlington Memorial and University Hospital of North Durham has enabled us to reduce waiting times for surgical procedures and improve patient experience. Admitting all elective surgical patients through day surgery and transferring to the appropriate wards post operatively allows efficient use of in-patient beds. This maximises resources whilst patients are cared for in a friendly non-clinical environment.
