Background Deficiencies in daily ward rounds are increasingly identified. A ward safety checklist has recently been devised to improve the fast-paced surgical ward round. Methods Over 2 weeks the morning post-take surgical ward round was evaluated using the ward safety checklist. In order to avoid the Hawthorne effect, doctors involved were not aware their performance was being observed. Results One hundred patient encounters were evaluated. The three phases of the card safety checklist showed statistically significant improvement but for many components compliance was below 100%. Conclusion Implementing this simple checklist has provided our unit with a starting point in how to overcome some of the deficiencies of the post-take surgical ward round.