Mr Annakan Navaratnam publishes new GIRFT guidance on nasal airway surgery
The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is a national NHS England programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through in-depth review of services. Last year, Mr Annakan Navaratnam joined the GIRFT ENT team as a national advisor.
Annakan has now authored GIRFT guidance on three new pathways to support ENT teams delivering nasal airway surgery.
The three pathways build on the existing GIRFT nasal airway surgery pathway, released in 2025, and all are clinically evidence-based, focusing on function. They are:
- Inferior turbinate reduction surgery pathway (16+): a procedure to improve nasal breathing, reducing the size of one or both inferior turbinates.
- Nasal septoplasty pathway (16+): a procedure to correct a deviated nasal septum (the cartilage and bony structure that separates the nostrils).
- Functional septorhinoplasty pathway (16+): a procedure to improve nasal breathing by reconstructing the nasal septum and lateral structures of the nose.
