Day case surgery

Thank you for choosing to have your surgery with us. We aim to ensure that your visit goes as smoothly as possible.

Your procedure will be carried out as a day case, meaning you will come to the hospital, undergo your surgery, and be discharged on the same day. If all goes according to plan, you should be ready to leave approximately two hours after waking up from the anaesthetic.

While modern anaesthetics wear off more quickly than in the past, you may still experience some lingering effects, such as light-headedness. Additionally, certain pain relief medications may cause drowsiness.

Although an overnight stay in hospital is not necessary, it is important to take sensible precautions to ensure your safety when travelling home and during your first night after surgery. For your safety, you must not drive for at least 24 hours following your procedure.

To prioritise your wellbeing, it is a requirement that you arrange for a responsible adult (not a child) to collect you from the hospital. We also recommend that you have someone stay with you on the first night in case you feel unwell.

Please note that if you do not have someone to accompany you home, your surgery may need to be cancelled and rescheduled for another time when appropriate arrangements can be made. This would be both an inconvenience to you and a misuse of NHS resources, as the operating slot could not be reallocated.

On the day of your surgery, please bring the contact details of the person who will be collecting you and provide these to the nurse preparing you for the procedure. It would also be helpful to have an estimate of how long it will take them to travel to the hospital.

The nurse caring for you will then contact your escort and advise them of the appropriate time to collect you.