Overview
This quality standard covers care in adults during the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative periods. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
It covers secondary and tertiary healthcare settings. Dental surgery is included where procedures are performed in secondary and tertiary healthcare settings. It does not cover minor surgery in outpatient clinics.
Last reviewed: 1 July 2026
How to use NICE quality standards and how we develop them
Quality standards help you improve the quality of care you provide or commission. They apply in England and Wales (see the UK government website and Welsh government website). Decisions on how they apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland are made by ministers in the Scottish government and Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out how to use quality standards and how we develop them. We check our quality standards every August to make sure they are up to date.
Endorsing bodies
This quality standard is endorsed by NHS England as required by the Health and Social Care Act (2012).