Surgery school

This online guide is part of our Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and prehabilitation program and is designed to help you prepare for surgery, providing education on key areas identified to help you get ready. 

Learning how to improve your health and fitness levels greatly reduces your chances of problems after surgery and helps to improve your quality of life.

How to prepare for Surgery - Overview

In the below learning package, we guide you through how to prepare for your surgery day step-by-step, so you can get an idea of what is ahead of you, what you might see, who you might meet, so you feel more prepared. We hope this will help reduce any worries you have about your surgery.

What to expect when you have surgery - Overview

Select the link below to learn about the types of tubes and drips that you might see nurses and doctors using before, during or after your surgery.

These are some of the things that may be inserted or used in the operating theatre. Some you may wake up with, others may have already been removed. Not everyone will have all of these.

Drips and Drains used before, during, and after surgery - Overview

This video will introduce you to Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) and Surgery School, and how it can benefit your preparation for surgery and your recovery after.

ACOUGH is a program designed to improve lung function and reduce chest infections, and even pneumonia, which may occur after surgery. 

This video introduces you to the acough program, teaching you techniques to practice, helping you recover from your surgery. 

This video will provide you with information to help you understand the importance of regular exercise leading up to your surgery and examples of the types of exercise you can add into your daily routine. 

This video will provide you with information about nutrition and the kinds of food and drinks you want to be consuming before and after your surgery to reduce the risk of complications and help to aid recovery.

This video will provide you with information to help you understand what to expect after surgery and how your pain team will help monitor and manage your pain. 

This video will provide you with information about preparing mentally for surgery and the kinds of activities and techniques you can employ before and after your surgery.

This video will explore effective ways of communicating with your care team to help you prepare for surgery. Your carer or family may also find it helpful to watch this video to encourage good communication with the health professionals caring for you.

This video will explain why it is so important to stop smoking, not only for your overall health, but especially if you are planned for surgery