Pre-Operative Assessment (POA)

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The Pre-Operative Assessment (POA) service provides a multi-disciplinary assessment of patients who are booked for planned surgery at the 乐鱼体育 Hospital, to ensure they areready to undergo their planned operation. Patients with medical conditions and/or those with complex surgical or medical needs, will receive individualised advice to prepare them for surgery.

Lifebox

You will receive an electronic link to your email address, from our partner company called 憀ifebox� asking you to complete a health questionnaire online. It is very important you complete this, but if for any reason you cannot please contact the admissions team who will book an in-person appointment for you. They can be contacted on 020 7288 5665.

Please read the section on 憌hat to bring to POA� carefully before you attend any in-person appointments

A pre-operative assessment will usually happen one or more days before your operation.

You will be given clear information on:

If and when you need to stop eating and drinking before your operation.
If and when you should stop taking your usual medicines before coming into hospital.
What to bring with you into hospital
If you will need to stay in hospital overnight and if so, for how long.

Who we are

Our Pre-assessement (POA) team consists of specialist clinical nurses, health care assistants, administrative support staff and consultants in anaesthesia with an interest in Pre-operative assessment.

Pre-Operative Assessment Clinical Lead - Dr Mehnaz Khan

Pre-Operative Assessment Lead Nurse - Ms Geraldine Cook

Service Manager - Mr Kwasi Agyemang

What we do

We are a team who help identify and guide treatment for complex medical and surgical needs of patients who are due to undergo surgery. This is with the aim of avoiding cancellations and to optimise the health of patients before, during and after their surgery. We help to reduce worries and concerns related to the peri operative period. We also provide written and verbal advice on relevant issues related to your surgical procedure, care and length of stay.

Why Pre-Operative Assessment is important

Being seen in POA can allow healthcare professionals to identify medical problems and health care issues that need to be taken into consideration when planning your care, as well as conditions that need to be optimised before surgery can happen. Not completing your health questionnaire on lifebox, or not attending your booked pre-assessment appointment, can lead to cancellation of your planned surgery.

What is lifebox? I have received an email from lifebox- why is this important for me?

We have partnered with a company called lifebox who send you an electronic link to complete your preoperative health questionnaire online. It is completely private, only visible to you and specific health care professionals at 乐鱼体育. Please follow the instructions sent to you by email and complete as much of the information asked as possible.

This will allow us to review the information and assign you to the most appropriate type of nursing appointment, book investigations, and ask for relevant information from your GP in time before we see you in clinic in person. Patients who are completely fit and well may not need to be seen by a pre-assessment nurse at all and only attend for some basic preoperative tests. This is a new process to our clinic which has been introduced to improved efficiency within the clinic and so further improve the perioperative journey for all of our patients.

Patients who cannot complete the questionnaire themselves, or cannot ask a friend to help them, can of course attend the pre-assessment clinic in person. The admissions team can book this appointment for you.

Please see 乐鱼体育 LifeBox Info Leaflet

What should I do while waiting for surgery?

It is important you are as well as you can be for your upcoming operation so there are lots of things to think about relating to your health preoperatively. Please refer to this link for more information.

Why you have been referred

Pre-operative Assessment (POA) is a check to make sure that you are fully prepared for your hospital admission, treatment and discharge home again. The aim is to ensure you are fit and well prior to your operation.

You may have medical conditions that need optimisation of treatment.

If patients are not fit at this time they may be required to have further assessments from the anaesthetist, or maybe referred back to their GP to stabilise systemic illnesses or diseases.

What your appointment will involve

A specialist nurse will collect information from you regarding your medical history, functional capacity, current medication and allergies and also appropriate social circumstances relevant to your admission and discharge from hospital.

Physiological measurements are taken (blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, Body Mass Index (BMI)) and then appropriate investigations are organised according to national and local guidelines for each patient as an individual. This will include blood tests, ECG (which records the electrical activity of your heart) and MRSA screening. These tests are performed at the clinic.

More specialised investigations may be needed and will be carried out in other departments.

What should I bring to my appointment?

Bring any medication you are currently taking, or a current prescription. Bring your glasses and any hearing aids you normally wear. You can bring a friend or relative to escort you if you wish. Please also bring the following:

              - Your appointment letter
              - GP contact details
              - A list of any questions you may have
              - Any relevant healthcare letters

POA - How much time should I allow for my appointments?

Location

Near outpatient reception on 2nd floor.

Pre-Operative Assessement Clinic

The 乐鱼体育 Hospital

Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF

[email protected]

Hours

Patients can attend clinic appointments or if they have been sent a 揹rop in� appointment following a surgical appointment.

Monday � Friday
08:30 � 16:30

Tel: 020 7288 5639 (Elective admission, booking POA appointments and surgery dates)

Tel: 020 7288 5665 (Pre-assessment)

Last updated18 Feb 2025

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