Abstract Background The ward round is an integral part of everyday surgical practice. It is a complex clinical activity that requires clinical management and communication skills. It has an impact on patient safety, mortality and quality of the healthcare services delivered. This study reports the results of a consensus-building exercise on the common aspects of the general surgical ward rounds. Methods The consensus-building committee involving a range of stakeholders from 16 NHS trusts took part in this consensus exercise. The members discussed and suggested a series of statements concerning surgical ward round. An agreement of ≥ 70% amongst members was regarded as a consensus. Results Thirty-two members voted on 60 statements. There was a consensus on fifty-nine statements after the first round of voting, and one statement was modified before it reached consensus in the second round. The statements covered nine sections: a preparation phase, team allocation, multidisciplinary approach to the ward round, structure of the round, teaching considerations, confidentiality and privacy, documentation, post-round arrangements, and weekend round. There was a consensus on spending time to prepare for the round, consultant-led round, involving the nursing staff, an MDT round at the beginning and end of the week, a minimum of 5 minutes allocated to each patient, utilisation of round checklist, afternoon virtual round, and a clear handover and plan for the weekend. Conclusion The consensus committee achieved agreement on several aspects concerning the surgical ward round. This should help improve the care of general surgical practice on wards.