2.2 Anaesthesia

2.2.1 The Department is responsible for all anaesthesia in the hospital. In special circumstances anaesthesia will be administered by persons other than those on the staff of the department (e.g. local anaesthesia given by the surgeon for a minor lesion).

2.2.2 Notwithstanding the above, the Director may, at his discretion, deploy a member of the anaesthetic staff to monitor the condition and safeguard the welfare of any patient undergoing any procedure in which the patient's state of consciousness or protective airway reflexes are altered by the manipulations of the operator.

2.2.3 A pre-operative assessment of all patients, elective and emergency, is a responsibility of the Department and this assessment will be carried out at the earliest possible time to enable appropriate measures to be taken as the patient's condition requires. In special cases, patient assessment will take place, where possible, in response to a formal consultation which will be directed to the anaesthetist who will take anaesthetic care of the patient.

Anaesthetists will attend the Pre-admission Clinic for pre-operative assessment of patients, when possible.

2.2.4 No operation shall be cancelled or postponed as a result of this assessment without consultation with the surgeon. The responsibility for seeking this consultation rests with the Anaesthetist who wishes to cancel the case (see Procedure to be Followed in Cancellation of Cases for Anaesthetic Reasons).

2.2.5 Before anaesthesia, all inpatients must, therefore, be seen by member of the department and all patients must be seen post-operatively before discharge from the Recovery Room at which time, a signature to the effect that the patient is fit to go, is required.