Abstract Aim Our primary endpoint was to evaluate staff awareness of preoperative fasting guidelines. Our secondary endpoint was to evaluate patient preoperative fasting times. Method Data were collected using online close-ended survey questions from surgical ward nurses and healthcare assistants before and after implementing a multimodal campaign to raise awareness. Data were collected for patient fasting times before and after the same interventions. Interventions: Results Staff: Our interventions increased staff awareness of preoperative fasting guidelines for food by 20.6% (from 50% to 70.6%) and for clear fluids by 28.8% (30% to 58.8%). Patients Average preoperative fasting times for food before and after intervention were 12.7 and 12 hours respectively (p=0.736). For clear fluids, average fasting times before and after intervention were 6.2 hours and 4.5 hours (p=0.415). Conclusions Staff were generally unaware of the guidelines and viewed preoperative fasting solely as a safeguard against aspiration, causing adoption of a risk-averse attitude. The benefits of adequate hydration and nutritional support before surgery were overlooked. Our interventions helped raise awareness in the short term. For our next cycle, we plan to assess the efficacy of implementing long-lasting changes such as local trust guidelines and improved staff training to drive a change in attitude and awareness of preoperative fasting.