In the light of recent developments and public concern over monitoring of individual surgeon's performances, and following discussions at the AGM of the Society in March, 1988, the Society has democratically assumed responsibility for quality control of individual surgical practices.
All NHS units have been asked to return annual, raw, surgeon specific mortality data on marker operations for adult cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery and paediatric cardiac surgery from the year commencing 1st April 1997, as an extension to the Cardiac Surgical Register. This data will be analysed independently and the results scrutinised through an internal mechanism within the Society. Individual surgeons will be notified and required to respond if their performance appears to be outside predetermined limits.
