A surgical care practitioner (SCP) completed a structured training programme to perform all aspects of varicose vein surgery including sapheno-femoral disconnection and long saphenous vein stripping. Over a four-year period, she performed 152 groin procedures, closed 191 groin wounds and undertook phlebectomies on 91 legs with excellent results. A SCP can be used to improve theatre utilization and efficiency with no obvious drawbacks.
McWinnieDL, SamuelAW, KingsnorthAN. Controversial topics: surgical care practitioners. Ann R Coll Surg Eng (>Suppl) 2005;87:239–43
2.
HeathRM, GateTCS, HalloranCM, CallaghanM, ParaoanMT, BlairSD. The EWTD ‘triple whammy’: hitting surgical trainees where it hurts. Ann R Coll Surg Eng (Suppl)2007;89:26–8
3.
Inquiry into independent sector treatment centres. Ann R Coll Surg Eng (Suppl)2006;88:116–9
4.
de CossartL, GrahamR. Curriculum development for surgical care practitioners. Ann R Coll Surg Eng2004;86:354–5