Guest Speaker

Emma McCone

GIRFT National Lead for Preoperative Assessment, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust

Emma is currently seconded as the national GIRFT lead for pre-operative assessment and has worked in preoperative assessment for over 20 years, with her most recent clinical role as the nurse lead for preoperative assessment at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Over the last 20 years, she has developed a passion and enthusiasm for the development of preoperative assessment services and their vital part in the safe assessment of patients as part of perioperative care.

Since starting with GIRFT, she has led national workstreams across preoperative assessment, including supporting workforce development, providing guidance for preoperative assessment services, and establishing the national non-medical preoperative assessment network in England, which has in excess of 350 members. It is this network that has enabled perioperative teams across the country to connect, share innovations, and adopt best practices.

Emma also works with preoperative services at various sites to give focused support to improve the surgical pathways by looking at capacity and demand, workforce, service provision, early risk assessment and interventions whilst supporting staff to maintain a positive patient experience. She had also led the national postponement at preoperative assessment evaluation and published the initial pilot in the British Journal of Surgery Variation in surgery postponement rates in the NHS in England | British Journal of Surgery | Oxford Academic

The current challenges reflective of today's preoperative assessment clinics (demand, capacity and patient pathways)

Wednesday 15th July 2026, 7-8pm

This webinar will explore the current challenges facing preoperative assessment services, national aims and priorities, and the importance of effective MDT collaboration across the surgical pathway. It will be presented by the GIRFT National Lead for Preoperative Assessment.

Preoperative assessment plays a vital role in preparing patients for surgery, identifying potential risks and supporting safer, more efficient perioperative care. However, patients are still often assessed late in the surgical pathway, which can lead to postponements, short-notice cancellations and avoidable disruption for patients, families and the wider perioperative team.

This session will consider what can be done nationally and locally to support earlier assessment, improve risk stratification and reduce variation in practice.

The webinar will cover:

• Key findings from the national PACE evaluation, published in April 2026, including the main reasons for postponements at preoperative assessment and cancellations within 24 hours of surgery
• What these findings tell us about current challenges in preoperative pathways
• The importance of early screening and risk stratification in improving patient flow and reducing avoidable delays
• How national guidance can support more consistent decision-making and reduce unwarranted variation in preoperative testing
• Specific guidance updates and considerations relating to Echo/NT-proBNP, atrial fibrillation, and IPC guidance including MRSA and decolonisation



This webinar is relevant to all members of the multidisciplinary team involved in preoperative assessment and perioperative care, including nurses, anaesthetists, pharmacists, ODPs, surgeons, managers and allied health professionals.