Ice lollies introduced for patients following surgery | News

Patients recovering from surgery at Royal Surrey are now being offered ice lollies in recovery as part of an exciting quality improvement project.

Funded by Royal Surrey Charity, the project was organised to improve patient comfort and experience after anaesthesia.

It was developed by the anaesthetic department in collaboration with recovery nurses and University of Surrey.

The initiative explores whether something as simple as ice could help reduce common post-operative symptoms such as thirst, sore throat, nausea and discomfort.

Dr Kai Patel, Consultant Anaesthetist and project lead, said: “This has been a true multidisciplinary effort involving anaesthetics, recovery nursing, researchers and charity support. Sometimes small changes can make a big difference to how patients feel after surgery."

The project follows evidence from studies suggesting that ice lollies may improve patient satisfaction and potentially reduce symptoms after surgery. Over the coming weeks, the team will continue collecting data to evaluate the impact on patient experience and recovery outcomes.

The project also highlights Royal Surrey’s continued commitment to innovation, patient centred care and quality improvement across surgical services.

The initiative was secured through the Trust’s Bid for Better initiative, a dragon’s den-style process where colleagues pitch their ideas to improve patient care.

Early feedback from both patients and staff has been extremely positive.

A huge thank you to the recovery nursing teams and all staff involved in helping bring the project to life.