The audit process

SAASM is a peer-review process.Participation by consultant surgeons is a requirement of the College's Continuing Professional Development (CPD)Program.

To start:SAASM is notified by the hospital of all deaths that occurred during a surgical admission (before, during or after surgery).

Next:SAASM sends an email notification to the treating surgeon with a link to complete the surgical case form. Surgical case forms are completed online using the Fellows Interface.

The surgical case form is:

1. completed and submitted by the consultant surgeon or a registrar/trainee (under supervision), and
2. de-identified and sent to a first-line assessor (a consultant surgeon; same specialty, different hospital) for anonymous peer-review.

If a second-line assessment (case note review) is not requested by the first-line assessor, the original surgeon will be sent written feedback at this point (and the case will be closed).

If a second-line assessment (case note review) is requested by the first-line assessor (that is, the case needs further investigation or insufficient information has been provided on the Surgical Case Form) then these steps are followed:

1. a second-line assessor is selected;
2. medical records are requested by SAASM project staff;
3. the second-line assessor then reviews the Surgical Case Form; the medical records; and the first-line assessor's comment, before writing a one-page report;
   Note: The review is carried out and the report written in a spirit of sympathetic enquiry, using the Assessment Guidelines (PDF 269.48KB), providing sufficient details for a clear view of events;
4. the report and relevant feedback is sent to the original surgeon. The case is then closed, and
5. at each stage of the process the original surgeon has right of reply.