Colleagues have praised the ‘expertise’ and ‘passion’ of Mike Swart, GIRFT’s long-standing joint clinical lead for anaesthetics and perioperative medicine (APOM), as he steps down from the programme.
Mike, a consultant intensivist and perioperative medicine lead at the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, has been an integral part of the GIRFT APOM programme since 2017, when he was appointed to co-lead the workstream alongside Dr Chris Snowden. Chris Snowden is continuing in the role as APOM clinical lead.
In 2021, Mike and Chris co-produced the GIRFT national report for APOM, which outlined best practice and key principles across the entire perioperative pathway. This work was informed by extensive on-site visits and subsequent virtual gateway review, necessitated by the Covid pandemic. Mike’s expertise in contextualising APOM metrics from the Model Health System (formerly Model Hospital) often provided fresh insights into the cross-cutting nature of perioperative medicine.
Throughout his GIRFT tenure, Mike has contributed to numerous guidance documents -including those on day-case delivery and enhanced care – always championing shared decision-making as a cornerstone of surgical patient management. His firm belief that communication across perioperative teams is fundamental to service transformation has been a hallmark of his work at provider, regional and national levels.
Chris Snowden said:
“It is difficult to fully capture the breadth of Mike’s contribution to perioperative and anaesthetic medicine, both during his time with GIRFT and in his previous roles as joint clinical lead and council member at the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
“Mike has always shared his vast experience and knowledge with an infectious smile and a collaborative approach that bridges all specialties. Never afraid to say in plain English what everyone else is thinking, his decision to step back from the GIRFT programme to pursue a slightly slower pace of life - while continuing to advise and work locally in his beloved Devon - is incredibly well-deserved. It has been my privilege and pleasure to work with him."
Emma McCone, GIRFT’s national lead for preoperative assessment (POA), said:
“I have had the absolute pleasure of working with Mike since joining the GIRFT APOM team in 2023.
“Mike has a genuine passion for perioperative medicine and ensuring this specialist field is represented by a diverse multidisciplinary team. He consistently keeps the patient at the heart of everything he does, ensuring high-quality care and safety are never compromised.
“I am grateful for everything I have learned from both Mike and Chris, which has significantly helped preoperative assessment gain the national recognition it deserves. I wish him the very best for the future.”
Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT programme lead and NHS England National Director for Clinical Improvement, Elective Recovery and UEC, said:
“Anaesthesia is one of the largest hospital specialties, involved in a third of all hospital admissions, so it was important when we established our GIRFT APOM workstream that we appointed passionate and widely-respected clinicians to lead the national improvement work.
“Mike has been a fantastic ambassador for GIRFT over the years and the impact of his and Chris’s work in perioperative care is very clear, especially the significant impact on improving theatre productivity and day case rates which are helping to reduce elective waiting times. I’d like to thank him personally for nine years of sterling work.”
