Standards Documents

For access to additional NELA documents please select the tabs on the left side of the page.

Publications and Documents

NELA audits delivery of care against existing standards. Beginning in NELA Year 10 (1st April 2023), the standards and metrics against which NELA will report can be found here:

Standards are calculated using the following:

Previous to Year 10, NELA audited care against standards which can be found here:

Previous to Year 10, standards were calculated using the following:


Standards have been drawn from the following publications and documents:

The Higher Risk General Surgical Patient: towards improved care for a forgotten group

Royal College of Surgeons of England/Department of Health, 2018

Emergency Surgery: Standards for unscheduled care

Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2011

Peri-operative care: Knowing the Risk Report

National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, 2011

Elective and Emergency Surgery in the Elderly: An Age Old Problem

National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, 2010

Emergency General Surgery: The Future, A Consensus Statement

Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, 2007

Emergency General Surgery Consensus Statement

Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, 2012

Clinical Guideline 50: Acutely ill patients in Hospital

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2007

Medical Technologies Guidance: CardioQ-ODM

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2011