It is, therefore, vital to optimise the training opportunities that present themselves.Emergency and urgent colorectal surgery accounts for a large proportion of the general surgery on-call workload. However, it is high-risk surgery, with a high peri-operative morbidity and mortality. It is, therefore, important to ensure that, if this surgery is being performed by higher surgical trainees (HSTs), it is safe for them to do so. There is a gap in the literature regarding this aspect of surgical care. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of patients undergoing urgent colorectal surgery by consultants and HSTs. Patients and MethodsDetails of patients who underwent urgent colorectal surgery at a busy district general hospital in the West Midlands were retrospectively collected for a 5-year period (June 1998 to June 2003). Patients were identified, through the hospital coding department, by selecting patients who had had operations consistent with emergency and urgent colorectal surgery. The resulting list was then analysed for the coded diagnoses and appropriate notes selected for inclusion in the study. Based on codes for operation performed and diagnosis, 575 patients were identified who appeared to fit the intended population and 90.26% (519) of these notes were obtained. After initial screening, 157 patients were excluded due to incorrect coding or incomplete data.Data were collected regarding patient demographics, disease process, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, indication for surgery, procedure performed, COLORECTAL CANCER

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