ADEQUACY OF GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS PREMISES FOR MINOR SURGERY

Objective-Assessment of facilities for minor surgery in general practitioners' premises. Design-Independent inspection of premises and equipment. Setting-Large urban district. Subjects-Premises of all general practitioners who applied to be reimbursed for minor surgery. Main outcome measure-Fulfilment of 14 preselected criteria. Results-69 of 111 premises met all criteria and were approved; 23 failed on only one criterion. The commonest reasons for failure were inadequate record keeping and lack of resuscitation equipment. Twelve practices had out of date adrenaline. Conclusions-Most premises are suitable for minor surgery, some with attention needed to record keeping. Practices must pay careful attention to the expiry date of adrenaline.