ABSTRACT
On the day of surgery, there should be a responsible adult in the home who could summon help should complications occur. There needs to be easy access to a telephone. The patient needs to live near enough to hospital to make travelling to and from hospital practical. It has been suggested that a maximum of one hour’s travel is a reasonable limit, although less than this may be sensible depending on the type of surgery and how well the patient feels afterwards. With sufficient notice, people who live alone may be able to make suitable arrangements at home or to stay with someone.
