British Association of Day Surgery - BADS

14/11/2025

Issues in Paediatric Day Surgery 2nd Edition

This handbook provides a comprehensive update, giving guidance to day surgery units on implementing or improving the provision of paediatric day surgery service.
It includes advice and evidence about standards of care for children with and without special needs, selection criteria, preoperative assessment and preparation, fasting and anaesthetic techniques, pain assessment, recovery, discharge, sedation and anaesthesia for paediatric dentistry.

Free to BADS members

Authors: JA Short, E Allison, S Bew, V Hodgetts, P Horsfield, C Kirton, N Ladak, J Sellors, S Welsby.

https://bads.co.uk/for-members/bads-handbooks/issues-in-paediatric-day-surgery-issues/

12/11/2025

1st World Ambulatory Surgery Day

On 30th September, the IAAS hosted a webinar to commemorate the birthday of Professor James Nicoll, father of ambulatory surgery, along with the 30th anniversary of the association’s formation. During this program, the association’s former presidents and other closely associated dignitaries provided insight on the creation of IAAS by sharing their experiences.

11/11/2025

BADS Council reflects its multidisciplinary membership from all areas of , , , , . BADS is committed to promoting evidence-based excellence in day surgery and welcome queries to help overcome challenges in practice.

Meet the BADS Council:
https://bads.co.uk/about/bads-council/

07/11/2025

Double joint replacement day case surgery

​A UK centre has performed double hip joint replacement surgery in a patient who was able to be discharged home on the same day as surgery.

Find out more:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgq20pn1p7o

Ruth Denney from Onnerley returns home for a takeaway on the same day as her hospital procedure.

06/11/2025

Meet BADS council member Melisa Albay, Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) at King's College Hospital's active Day Surgery unit with responsibilities for anaesthetics, scrubs, and recovery.
She has a passion for day surgery and actively contributes to advancing and promoting day surgery practices in the UK.

https://bads.co.uk/about/bads-council/current-members/melisa-albay/

04/11/2025

Day Case Emergency General Surgery: A joint BADS/HCUK Virtual Conference
4th December 2025

The UK has a strong international reputation for excellence in day surgery, driven by several factors including high quality research, an emphasis on efficient use of NHS resources and not least, dynamic clinical leaders, examples of which we will be hearing from during this event.

The rationale for effective elective day surgery is well understood and whilst work continues to improve care in this area, the provision of day case/ambulatory emergency & urgent surgical care has been a recent focus of research and healthcare reform. Outcomes in emergency surgery are poor compared to other countries and compared to elective surgical patients. We can and should be offering high-quality, efficient ambulatory emergency surgery pathways, utilising the best technology available, for the benefit of our patients and making the best use of our valuable and limited healthcare resources. The NHS 10-year plan has recognised the importance of providing treatment for patients outside of the hospital environment and ambulatory care for patients with acute surgical pathology can play an important part in this. Likewise, the NHS vision for a move from analogue to digital technology has significant potential to improve the care of emergency surgical patients through ambulatory pathways.

Chair & Speakers:
•Mr Dave Bunting - Past President, BADS; Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
•Mr Adam Kimble - Honorary Treasurer, BADS; Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
•Dr Catrin Williams - BADS Council Member; Consultant Anaesthetist, Practice Plus Group Hospital in Shepton Mallet and Musgrove Park, Taunton, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
•Mr Gabriele Galatà - BADS Council Member; Consultant in Endocrine and General Surgery, King’s College Hospital NHS
•Mr Adam Peckham Cooper - Consultant Emergency General Surgeon, Leeds Institute of Emergency General Surgery, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust Foundation Trust
•Dr Rachel Hyland - Consultant Radiologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Head of School of Radiology Yorks & Humber
•Mr Luke Evans - Consultant in Emergency General Surgery, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Service Director, EAUS
•Mr Dale Vimalachandran - Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; NIHR Clinical Research Network National Specialty Lead for Surgical Oncology
•Miss Lydia Longstaff - Consultant Colorectal and Emergency Surgeon, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
•Mr Mark Cheetham - Consultant Surgeon, Getting It Right First Time (GiRFT); National Clinical Lead for General Surgery, NHS England

More information:
https://bads.co.uk/events/2025/day-case-emergency-general-surgery-a-joint-bads-hcuk-virtual-conference-4th-december-2025/

Healthcare Conferences UK Ltd

03/11/2025

How do your hospital’s day surgery rates compare with others? Does your day surgery performance place you in the top 5% of performing trusts or are patients being admitted for inpatient surgery when they could be managed safely as a day case? Can this be justified given the huge backlog in surgical waiting lists and pressure on inpatient beds?

You can find this information in the BADS Directory of Procedures National Dataset (DOP).
This ‘go-to’ publication recommends day case rates for over 300 surgical procedures, arranged by speciality and defined by OPCS codes. This latest update includes new speciality sections on plastic surgery, neurosurgery, trauma and orthopaedics and bariatric surgery, which will be augmented in future editions. Some pre-existing speciality sections have been expanded and robotic procedures introduced.
It also shows the day surgery performance of the top achieving 5%, and 50% of English hospitals for all the operations listed with potential release of inpatient beds and cost savings achieved by maximising day case rates. What’s stopping you and can you justify your inpatient surgery rates?

Free to BADS members.

https://bads.co.uk/for-members/bads-directory-of-procedures-national-dataset/

31/10/2025

Day Case Hip & Knee Replacement 2nd Edition

This handbook describes anaesthetic and surgical practicalities associated with successful day case management of patients requiring hip or knee replacement surgery, including advice on patient selection, perioperative care and safe discharge home.
Free to BADS members

Authors: C Blandford, E Dunstan.

https://bads.co.uk/for-members/bads-handbooks/day-case-hip-and-knee-relacement/

29/10/2025

ENT day case surgery guideline in a resource limited setting

The Matale District General Hospital in Sri Lanka has used BADS guidelines to help implementation of a day case surgery pathway, which has reduced unnecessary overnight stays, improved cost effectiveness and has led to greater patient satisfaction.

Read the full report:
https://bads.co.uk/media/5w3d1yym/ent-guideline.pdf

This article featured in the October edition of BADS newsletter.
To find out more about BADS, please visit our website:
https://bads.co.uk/about/about-bads/

28/10/2025

Meet BADS council member, Carlos Miras-Sampedro, Matron for Day Surgery at Crawley Hospital (Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust).
His interests include and , and digital solutions for healthcare.

Read more:
https://bads.co.uk/about/bads-council/current-members/mr-carlos-miras-sampedro/

27/10/2025

The Role of the Day Surgery Team. A Joint BADS/HCUK Virtual Conference.
Monday 3rd November 2025

The presence of dedicated, knowledgeable, multi-skilled day surgery practitioners (the day surgery team) is essential in ensuring safe and efficient day surgery service delivery with the best patient experience.
This one-day virtual conference aims to provide support for day surgery teams in achieving these goals. Good clinical practice, accompanied by explanation of underlying principles, at each stage of the day surgery pathway will be reviewed, along with discussion of when it is acceptable to question traditional practice, how the day surgery team can contribute to successful development of new day surgery pathways and inform development and innovation of multi-skilling within the day surgery process.

Current pressures faced by the NHS for the recovery of surgery following the Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on increasing day surgery delivery. The day surgery team is essential to the success of this so join us to learn how to be even better in achieving
your goals.

This conference will enable you to:
•Network with from colleagues across the day surgery team
•Reflect on the different roles of the day surgery team and your own practice
•Learn from and discuss successful practice in different day surgery units
•Identify strategies to enhance and support interprofessional working
•Ensure you are up to date with the latest national practice
•Gain 5 hours CPD for professional development and revalidation evidence, subject to peer group approval

Chair & Speakers:
•Ms Alex Alen - Senior Sister, Day Surgery Unit, Torbay and South Devon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; past BADS Council member
•Ms Karen Harries - Day Surgery Nursing Lead, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; BADS President
•Ms Catherine Jack - Theatre Manager, NHS Fife based in the Victoria Hospital; past BADS Council member
•Dr Rachel Tibble - Consultant Anaesthetist, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust; BADS President Elect
•Mr Carlos Miras-Sampedro - Surgical Matron, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust; BADS Council Member

More Information:
https://bads.co.uk/events/2025/the-role-of-the-day-surgery-team-a-joint-bads-hcuk-virtual-conference-3rd-november-2025/

Healthcare Conferences UK Ltd

24/10/2025

Do you need support developing or updating competency documents for your day surgery team?

If so, check out the BADS and the AfPP competency recommendations for day surgery, which is available free, via the BADS and AfPP websites.

The main document sets out core competencies essential for adult day surgery from the point of admission to discharge on the same day. This is supplemented with recommendations for challenging situations arising in the day-case surgery setting and additional knowledge and skills required for adult trained nurses or allied health professionals if paediatric day-case surgery is undertaken.
These competencies are relevant for staff new to, or after a long absence from day surgery and acknowledge some members of the day surgery team may include non-registered practitioners.

https://bads.co.uk/for-members/core-competencies/