Surgical practice in the UK.
Throughout the working lifetime of any surgeon, major changes take place often stimulated by matters outwith the practitioner's control. This has certainly been true over the last forty years. The holistic care of a patient is now well established, with surgeons being seen as doctors who can add technical skills to their therapeutic armamentarium rather than being speedy technicians. Many of the changes have been for the good of patient care and developments in other areas such as anaesthesia, intensive care and radiology have had a significant influence on surgical practice. Not all change has been for the better. Some of the Government pressures and concerns with financing of the Health Service have had an adverse affect by deviating attention away from the patient.