Pre-anaesthetic Assessment

Our children’s pre-anaesthetic assessment service prepares children, young people and their families for planned hospital admissions requiring anaesthetic. At the assessment we will gather information about your health needs and we aim to provide our families with a good understanding of what will happen during their stay in hospital.

Appointments can take up to 45 minutes. This can vary from case to case depending on the nature of the admission and the tests required. The assessment will be led by an appropriately trained nurse. During the assessment, a full health history is obtained and a brief physical examination will take place, including weight and blood pressure. Further preoperative investigations may be required such as blood tests or X-rays.

If the hospital admission is for an operation, you will be sent an appointment to attend the Preoperative Assessment Clinic. It is vital that you attend, as failure to do so will mean we will be unable to make arrangements for your admission.

Preassessment allows your child the opportunity to express feelings, anxieties and fears, reducing unhelpful misconceptions about hospitals. Fear of hospitals and procedures often comes from fear of the unknown so the more information you know, the less frightening the experience will be, and therefore less traumatic it will be for your child.

The best way to prepare your child for their hospital admission is by talking to them about it and providing them with the correct information.

Location

We are based in Saturn Ward, 1st Floor, Lift Bank B.

Contact

If you have been given an appointment for this clinic which you cannot attend, please inform the Children’s Admissions Office by telephoning 020 3315 8028 as soon possible.