Paul Jarrett was a consultant general surgeon at Kingston Hospital, London (1977 to 2003), a professor of day surgery and acute day care at Kingston University and St George’s Hospital Medical School (from 1996 to 2017) and a pioneer in the development of day care surgery. He was born in Blackburn, Lancashire on 18 February 1943, the only son of Maurice Eugene Decimus Jarrett, a research chemist in the paint industry and Mabel Doris Jarrett née Lake. He attended Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn and then Downing College, Cambridge and St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School. He qualified in 1967. He was a registrar in surgery at St Thomas’ Hospital and the Royal Hospital Wolverhampton, and then a senior registrar back at St Thomas’. In 1977 he was appointed as a consultant general surgeon with an interest in vascular surgery at Kingston. He was also medical director at Kingston for several years. In 1978 he developed plans for the opening of one of the UK’s first day surgery units at Kingston and, despite the suspicions of many in the medical profession, by the late 1980s the benefits were becoming clear. In 1988 Jarret and a consultant anaesthetist Tom Ogg met to plan the setting up of the British Association of Day Surgery; Jarrett was elected as the first chairman. He published and delivered 130 papers, was a member of the editorial board of the *Journal of One-Day Surgery* and joint editor-in-chief of *Ambulatory Surgery*. For the next two decades he was involved in the design and development of dozens of day unit throughout the UK and in 10 other countries. He was also an adviser to the Department of Health. In 1995 he was a founding member of the International Association for Ambulatory Surgery and president (from 1997 to 1999). He served on the boards of several public and private companies and was a founder trustee of a local hospice. He enjoyed collecting antiques, particularly clocks. In his retirement he learnt how to repair and restore clocks and became master of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. He was also a freeman of the Company of Arts Scholars, Dealers and Collectors. He also enjoyed food, fine wine and travel. In 1966 he married his childhood sweetheart, Annie Wilson. Paul Jarrett died of cancer on 22 October 2019 at the age of 76. Annie survived him with their son, Michael, also a consultant surgeon, and three grandchildren.