New online service to streamline pre-operative assessments for adults

All patients due to have surgery under general anaesthetic require to have a pre-operative assessment, to make sure they are as fit as possible for their operation and ensure their surgery is as safe as possible. Until now, this has required almost everyone to attend an in-person pre-operative assessment clinic in either Aberdeen or Elgin, for an appointment with a nurse lasting up to 90 minutes.

To improve the experience for individuals and staff alike, NHS Grampian has invested in an online service which will allow patients to complete a pre-operative assessment questionnaire in the comfort of their own home.

MyPreOp by Ultramed is an online system used to invite people to complete their questionnaire when it is time for their pre-operative assessment.

Paul Bachoo, a consultant vascular surgeon and NHS Grampian acute sector medical director, said: “Introducing MyPreOp has benefits across the board. Patients may no longer have to travel significant distances, for example from Johnshaven, Braemar, or Tomintoul, to attend an in-person appointment.

“MyPreOp will allow pre-operative assessment nurses to focus on those individuals with a more complex medical history or requiring more complex surgery. In those cases an in-person assessment will still be necessary, for example to have tests or observations.

“By using MyPreOp to gather information from patients, nurse time will be freed up, meaning when appointments are required, they are likely to be available more quickly and shorter for patients. Faster pre-assessment means surgical teams receive the information earlier, helping them with their decisions around when patients are offered dates for surgery.”

Early pre-assessment means people have more time to get themselves ready, physically and mentally, for surgery. This may help avoid unnecessary surgery cancellations, the associated disappointment and inconvenience, as well as the waste of unused theatre capacity where short notice cancellations can be hard to fill.

As a digital, rather than paper-based system, staff who book people in for procedures will also be able to see at a glance who is ready for surgery, reducing potential delays.

MyPreOp is being rolled out gradually, starting initially with General Surgery and ENT pre-operative assessment clinics in Aberdeen, before being expanded to all other specialities from summer 2026, and also to pre-operative assessment clinics in Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin. It is expected it will be in use across all adult pre-operative clinics in Grampian by the end of 2026.

When it is time for a patient to have their pre-operative assessment, they will be sent a secure link via SMS, inviting them to complete their questionnaire online.

MyPreOp is a safe and secure system, used by other NHS bodies across the UK. Wherever possible, NHS Grampian is encouraging people to use this service when invited to. Where there are genuine barriers to completing an assessment online, clinic appointments will continue to be arranged, where nurses will be able to complete the MyPreOp questionnaire with patients.