Day surgery
Day surgery, sometimes called day case surgery, means an operation or surgical procedure that does not involve an overnight stay in hospital. At the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust day surgery takes place at:
- Barnet Hospital
- Chase Farm Hospital
- Royal Free Hospital
We now perform around seven out of 10 hospital operations as day surgery thanks to short-acting anaesthesia and our advanced surgical techniques. High-quality specialist care is provided with specially trained nurses caring for patients during their time on our day surgery unit.
If you are a day patient you will generally be discharged home from the unit after only a few hours. There are a few patients who use our 23-hour overnight facility and who are discharged first thing in the morning the day after their operation. We will tell you in advance if we plan to keep you overnight.
Please be aware there is no waiting area or facilities for friends and family at our day surgery unit, but they will be welcome to use other areas of the hospital.