How do you become well known in the NHS for being innovative, particularly in the perioperative area regarding evaluation and communication of risk? How can cardiopulmonary exercise testing lead to shared decision making? Hear how aortic aneurysms are dealt with by a world class professional perioperative physician. Learn how that process and its success then spread out into other areas of healthcare within his institution. Do you need to develop a broad knowledge of all surgery and medicine so that you understand what is going on within the different surgical specialities? Following this discussion is had about the GIRFT (Getting It Right First Time) project. The stated aim is 'to help improve the quality of care within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variations, bringing efficiencies and improving patient outcomes'. This piece gives you the detail from one of the joint clinical leads. Presented by Monty Mythen, Joff Lacey and Desiree Chappell with their guest Dr Michael Swart, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine at Torbay Hospital and advisor to the UK Department of Health for the Enhanced Recovery Programme.