Perioperative Forum

Hello and welcome to the RCN Perioperative forum.

Perioperative care has changed significantly over the past 10 years. While it initially loosely referred to the surgical episode (anaesthetics, theatre and recovery) it now has expanded to include the point of decision to operative to discharge after surgery.

This has been driven by the royal college of anaesthetists (RCoA), surgeons (RCoS) and nursing (RCN) who recognise the importance of integrated, cross disciplinary care in caring for our surgical patients.

While this is welcome it has left us with some challenges. How do we upskill and support our RCN perioperative workforce to ensure we provide this same cross discipline expertise and education?

This is where our fantastic members come in. The forum is excited to be working alongside your expertise and knowledge to develop a resource for all who want to develop their practice in perioperative care. From nursing associate to consultant nurse, from operating department practitioner to theatre scrub nurse, we want to hear from you. Email and tell us what you want you’d like your Perioperative forum to focus on.

Also, get your colleagues to sign up. Given the scope of the perioperative pathway, it is likely many practitioners do not realise they work in perioperative care. I’d suggest if you work within a surgical setting, you are a perioperative practitioner. This is a forum for all these staff.

Look forward to hearing from, and working with, you.

Jason Cross – Perioperative Forum Chair