Emma McCone

Emma McCone is currently seconded full time as the national GIRFT lead for pre-operative assessment.

She has worked in pre-operative assessment for more than 20 years; her most recent clinical role was as nurse lead for pre-operative assessment at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Over 20 years, Emma has developed a passion and enthusiasm for the development of pre-operative assessment services and its vital role in the safe assessment of patients as part of perioperative care.

Since starting with GIRFT, she has led national workstreams across pre-operative assessment, including supporting workforce development, guidance for pre-operative assessment services and setting up the national non-medical pre-operative assessment network in England, which has more than 450 members. The network allows perioperative teams across the country to connect, share innovation and adopt best practice.

Emma also works with pre-operative teams across England, offering focused support to improve the surgical pathways by looking at capacity and demand, workforce, service provision, early risk assessment and interventions, while supporting staff to maintain a positive patient experience.

She also co-led the national PACE (postponements and cancellations evaluation), which was published in April 2026