"Pre op assessment"

My elderly stepfather was asked to attend a pre op assessment clinic at Gartnavel hospital prior to a planned procedure. I was able to take time off work to drive the 60 mile round trip to take him there. He was anxious about the whole process and had an expectation that some of his anaesthetic queries could be resolved, similarly I was expecting an assessment which could only be done by physically seeing the patient. In reality this consisted of a nurse asking him some background questions, basic observations and a FY1 performing an ecg and generic clerk in. 

I was absolutely stunned by this, I felt that we had gone back in time 10 years when processes were designed around the system rather than the patient and that all clinical services  strive to be patient centred- clearly not the case here! So I have a few questions that I would like answered and clarified please-

- why did my step father have to attend in person? A nurse phone assessment would have garnered the same information and pragmatic consideration regarding his history would have led to the conclusion that ecg or heart/lung abnormality was unlikely so would be appropriate to be carried out on the day of surgery ( or the night before as you’ll see in my later question!)

- why on earth is he being admitted the night before surgery? I find this an extremely outdated practice and particularly during the ongoing pandemic I can’t believe that anyone would consider that it’s in an elderly patient’s best interests to be an inpatient any longer that it strictly necessary.

- he’s been instructed to return 2 days prior to surgery for a covid test. Is this in the patient’s best interests? To travel 60 miles for a nasal swab ?? Why can this not be done by the GP or local testing centre. The reasoning that results may not be available to the hospital is ridiculous.

Thanks in advance for your consideration of these issues.