Adequacy of general practitioners' premises for minor surgery

Abstract

Objective: Assessment of facilities for minor surgery in general practitioners' premises.

Design: Independent inspection of premises and equipment.

Setting: Large urban district.

Subjects: Premises of all general practitioners who applied to be reimbursed for minor surgery.

Main outcome measure: Fullfilment of 14 pre-selected criteria.

Results: 69 of 111 premises met all criteria and were approved; 23 failed on only one criterion. The commonest reasons for failure were inadequate record keeping and lack of resuscitation equipment. Twelve practices had out of date adrenaline.

Conclusions: Most premises are suitable for minor surgery, some with attention needed to record keeping. Practices must pay careful attention to the expiry date of adrenaline.