About us...

The organisation for health professionals working in the preoperative field

The Preoperative Association (POA) is a medical specialist society with over 600 members providing guidance, training and setting national standards for inter-professional healthcare teams involved in preoperative assessment and preparation of surgical patients. Improving the standard of care delivered to patients undergoing surgical procedures. 

The specialist society was formed in 2004 and was open to all who had an interest in promoting best practice for patient care in the preoperative assessment and preparation for surgery. It has since grown as an Association and offers a wide range of membership benefits and educational training courses and conferences, which are led by national and international experts in the field of Preoperative Assessment.

The Preoperative Association has 12 council members who meet regularly at the Association of Anaesthetists, London. The committee is leading the development of Preoperative Assessment in the UK, and works alongside the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA), the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Health Service (NHS) producing national policies.

The objects of the POA are:

1. The advancement of education in the science and practice of preoperative assessment and medicine by the conduct of meetings, study days and training events;
2. Establishing and promoting best practice through research, audit and consensus;
3. Contributing and producing evidence-based guidelines to facilitate multi-disciplinary teams working in preoperative assessment.

Any healthcare professional or a lay person, can be a member of the Preoperative Association, resulting in an inclusive and open society. Please see the Membership section for further details.

Dr Henry Murdoch, BSc MBBS FRCA EDRA

President

Consultant Anaesthetist at Gloucester Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Rob Hill, MB BS FRCA

Immediate Past President

Consultant Anaesthetist at University Hospitals Sussex

Dr Cathryn Eitel, MB ChB, FRCA

Secretary

Consultant Anaesthetist at University Hospitals Sussex

Claire Badger, BN (Hons), RGN, MSC

Treasurer

Consultant Nurse Lead Preoperative Assessment Service

Dr Simon Lewis, BSc MBBS FRCA PGDipEcho

Governance & Risk Lead

Consultant Anaesthetist and Clinical Lead for Preoperative Assessment, Bristol

Ali Curtis, RN DIPN BSC (Hons)

Council Member

Matron & Clinical Operations Manager, Benenden Hospital Trust

Christina Reihill, RGN, M.Sc. Advanced Clinical Practice, PG Diploma 

Education

Project Manager Transformation Team for Elective Surgery Pathway at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Anjna Patel,
MPharm, PGDip GPP, PGCert IP

Education

Specialist Pharmacist in POA at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

James Durrand, BM BSC (Hons) FRCA

Trainee

Trainee in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine