Pre Operative Assessment Clinic

Contact details

Main telephone number: 01604 523539
Phone lines are open between 08:00 and 17:00.

Pre-operative COVID-19 testing

If you require COVID-19 testing before your procedure you will be sent a postal testing kit or asked to attend the drive through testing station located at the rear of Area K behind the day surgery unit and outpatient departments. Please note this testing site is only for those who are scheduled to have a procedure or operation and have been invited by Northampton General Hospital.

For more information on COVID-19 testing and isolation instructions, please read the following enclosure.

How to find us

AREA K: opposite the west entrance of the hospital, on the first floor – adjacent to the Dermatology Clinic. The nearest car parks are numbers 3 and 4. These both have limited parking. There is a drop off area outside the main building.

You can use the hospital map to assist you with finding us.

Opening times

Monday to Thursday 08:00 – 18:00 and Friday 08:00 – 17:30

We ask you to wear a face covering if you attend our clinic and have put in place measures to help you social distance from other patients. Our staff will be wearing surgical masks for your protection and theirs.

Our department and you

If you are going to require general or regional anaesthesia we will work with you to ensure you are as fit as you can be. This will help you to receive the best possible outcome from your procedure or operation. To achieve this we need information about your medical history, functional capacity, current medications, allergies and also appropriate social circumstances relevant to your admission and discharge.

You will be given access instructions for our cloud-based electronic pre-assessment system ‘MyPreOp’ by Ultramed, at, or following, your surgical outpatient appointment. You can access this system on the Ultramed website.

Please create your My PreOp account and complete the questionnaire as soon as possible after your appointment. If you have difficulty setting up an account please contact Ultramed at help@ultramed.co or 0203 3224545.If you are unable to complete My PreOp by yourself, or do not have an email address, a relative or friend can help you complete it. Once you have completed the My PreOp questionnaire, and sent it to us, our nursing and medical team will evaluate your responses. In some cases we will be able to do your assessment entirely remotely, in others we will contact you by telephone and, if necessary, we will make an appointment with you to attend the clinic for investigations or to see our staff face to face.

Failure to complete the on line questionnaire may delay your anaesthetic assessment and surgical procedure.

If you need to come to our clinic we will do physiological measurements (blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, weight, height etc.) and, taking into account your individual circumstances, organise appropriate investigations according to national and local guidelines. These can include blood tests, ECG and MRSA screening, performed in the clinic, or others, such as echocardiography or lung function testing through our hospital services. For certain operations and patients we may require a static bicycle exercise test of heart and lung capacity called a cardiopulmonary exercise test.

If, during our screening, we find issues that need addressing before your operation, to keep you as safe as possible, we will work with you and your general practitioner or specialist to optimise your condition.

There is a wealth of information about preparation for surgery and anaesthesia within the MyPreOp programme with links to national and local patient information and videos that you can access at your convenience. Once you have created your account it is available for you to at any time and can be updated if your medical situation changes or you require subsequent procedures.

If you are not admitted within 12 weeks of any initial tests you may need repeat blood or other screening tests.

What should I bring to my appointment?

Bring any medication you are currently taking, or a current prescription. Bring your glasses and any hearing aids you normally wear. Due to social distancing measures, we encourage patients to attend the clinic on their own. You may bring a friend or relative if you will need help in the clinic.

How much time should I allow for my appointment?

Allow plenty of time to park prior to your appointment, as parking in this area is limited. To assist with social distancing please could you consider coming up to the department no more than 10 minutes before your appointment time and, bear in mind, that if you are more than 10 minutes late we may not be able to see you. The whole visit is likely to take approximately 1-2 hours.

About the team

Our pre-assessment team consists of specialist clinical nurses, doctors who are anaesthesia and pre-assessment specialists, health care assistants and administrative support staff.

We look forward to working with you to be as fit and safe as possible for your procedure or operation.

Senior Clinical Nurse/Department manager – Sister Jatinder Briah

Clinical Lead – Dr Kalpna Gupta, Consultant Anaesthetist