Surgical pre-assessment (gynaecology and breast)
The Princess Anne pre-assessment team sees all the elective surgical patients within the breast and gynaecology pathways before their operations. Our role is to make sure that you are fit to have a general anaesthetic. You will be seen by a senior healthcare assistant who will record your observations and an ECG if required. You will then be seen by one of our nurse practitioners who will complete the full pre-assessment which includes asking questions about your medical health, any conditions you may have and any medications you take. The nurse will do blood tests, they may listen to your heart and lungs, and you could be referred for further investigations after you have been seen if needed.
Typically, we would expect your appointment to last 60 to 90 minutes.
We also have anaesthetists working in our team and depending on your medical or surgical requirement, you may need to see them. We try to do this on the same day as your pre-assessment, but you may be asked to return on another day if we do not have an anaesthetist in clinic at the time of your pre-assessment.
It is helpful if you bring an up-to-date medication list to your pre-assessment.
We are based on E level in the Princess Anne Hospital.
Come into the hospital through the main entrance on E level, and go through the double doors in front of you. This brings you to the outpatients and pre-assessment department.
We have a cafe next to the department where you can buy food and drinks, and we have a water dispenser within the waiting area. We have toilets, including a disabled bathroom with baby change facility close to the main waiting area.
Contact us
Our department phone number is 023 8120 1078, and we are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.