Teamwork an issue in surgery problems

Poor teamwork is an issue which has led to problems in surgical practice in more than three-quarters of cases reviewed by the Royal College of Surgeons.

The college analysed 100 surgical reviews over 10 years – between 2008 and the end of 2017 – and found poor teamwork was an issue in 76 per cent of cases.

Such behaviour, sometimes caused by tensions when new teams of consultant surgeons form after a merger or restructure, must be challenged, the college has warned.

The body said it is crucial that teams have regular quality conversations about surgical performance to ensure problems are resolved before they affect patient safety.

Professor Timothy Rockall, chairman of the RCS invited review mechanism, said: “In all but a handful of reviews, team working was an issue.”