Patient information

19 March 2021

Information for patients about the new consensus statement on the significant number of patients who have previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2 requiring surgery and the multisystem consideration required for safe surgery. Please click here.

17 July 2020

Please see below for patient information sheets from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health that have been developed for young people about a planned admission to hospital and for parents and carers regarding children’s planned admissions for surgery and general anaesthesia.

• RCPCH - Planned surgery for young people

• RCPCH - Planned surgery for younger children

• CPOC Children’s leaflet

26 May 2020

The situation with Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK continues to change quickly and advice to patients is therefore rapidly changing too. You should make sure that you know the current advice from national government and NHS sources.

There is helpful public information from:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): UK Government Response

• NHS.uk - Coronavirus

• Public Health England

• Health Protection Scotland

• Public Health Wales

• Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland

• The World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus update – your questions answered

Patients and the public must continue to seek medical help for serious conditions
during this COVID-19 pandemic

During this COVID-19 pandemic it is vitally important that patients and the public recognise that they must continue to seek medical assistance if they are worried by their symptoms, or they already are being treated for a serious health condition. Delay to seeking medical treatment for other conditions would have a detrimental impact on a patient’s health.  Local NHS services are working hard to protect patients from infection so that patients can continue to receive the best treatment for their health problems during this time.

Further information is available here.

The UK Government and National Agencies decide how the NHS responds to the situation as it changes. The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA), Association of Anaesthetists, Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine and Intensive Care Society are working closely with them, as we have expertise in caring for patients suffering from the problems that severe COVID-19 causes, such as requiring support with their breathing, the function of their heart or their kidneys.

During the last few months, doctors in critical care and anaesthesia throughout the UK have been working hard to treat patients with severe COVID-19 requiring hospital care. In March, the Government and National Agencies suspended elective surgery throughout the NHS to free up staff, space and equipment to treat patients requiring hospital admission for treatment of COVID-19. With the number of patients needing hospital treatment for COVID-19 reducing, the NHS announced that it will start providing elective care and treatment again.  Doctors in anaesthetics and critical care have been planning for the next stages in the Government’s action plan, including increasing urgent and elective surgery where the capacity is in place to do this safely.