The impact of acute surgical unit rostering on National Emergency Access Targets during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single hospital experience.

Background: Surgical departments have been dramatically impacted by the novel coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, with the cancellation of elective cases and changes to the provision of emergency surgical care. The aim of this study was to determine whether structural changes made within our facility's surgical department during COVID-19 altered National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) times and impacted on patient outcomes.

Methods: Emergency surgical cases over a 4-month time period were retrospectively collected and statistically analysed, divided into pre- and mid-COVID-19 pandemic.