Anaesthesia is the largest single hospital specialty in the NHS

The Royal College of Anaesthetists is the professional body responsible for the specialty throughout the UK.

Working with our members, we ensure the quality of patient care through the maintenance of standards in anaesthesia, critical care and pain medicine.

How you can benefit from membership

Our Medical Workforce Census 2020 is out for data contribution. We encourage all fellows and members to support their Clinical Directors & College Tutors by providing robust data. Reliable data is essential to raising workforce concerns & campaigning for change.

Help make our workforce data complete

Latest news

BJA Education vacancies for Editorial Board Membership
BJA Education are recruiting for a new editorial board member.

RCoA response to Academy of Medical Sciences report

The College welcomes the Academy of Medical Sciences report ‘Transforming health through innovation: Integrating the NHS and academia’.

RCoA response to the GMC survey of SAS and LE doctors

The College response to the GMC's first ever survey of Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS) and locally employed (LE) doctors.

Discover more about the work of the College

About the College

About the College
The College is the professional body responsible for the specialty of anaesthesia throughout the UK
Your Membership

Your membership
The Royal College of Anaesthetists is the third largest Medical Royal College by UK membership. With a combined membership of 23,000 fellows and members, we represent the three specialties of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.
Anaesthetist updating chart in theatre

Guidance and resources
The College is committed to setting the highest standards for anaesthesia services and patient care, and providing the guidance anaesthetists need to meet these standards.
SIM Man Detail

FRCA Primary OSCE
The Primary OSCE assesses a candidate's competence in one or more areas of clinical competence such as history taking, communication, physical examination skills across 16 exam cubicles (stations) laid out in a circuit. Candidates complete the examination by moving from station to station.
Primary SOE EXam pic

FRCA Primary SOE
The SOE assesses candidate's knowledge and understanding of the basic sciences and clinical decision-making through a series of structured oral interviews with two examiners.
Exams Anaesthetic machine screen

Primary FRCA examinations
The Primary FRCA is the first part of the FRCA examinations. The College recommends that trainees should not sit any of the Primary examinations until they have completed the initial assessment of competency in anaesthesia.

Information for patients and carers

Patient with mask

About anaesthesia and perioperative care
The word anaesthesia means ‘loss of sensation’. It can involve a simple local anaesthetic injection or using powerful drugs which cause unconsciousness.
Patient leaflet with doctor and patient

Patient information resources
Read all our detailed anaesthesia information leaflets and resources specifically for patients and their carers which have been written by the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
Preparing for surgery: Fitter Better Sooner

Preparing for surgery – Fitter Better Sooner
Having surgery? Our Fitter Better Sooner toolkit will help you prepare for surgery and share all the important steps you can take to improve your health and speed up your recovery.

Thank you for visiting our new website.
We've worked hard to provide you with a new platform through which you can explore and learn more about the work of the College and the specialty of anaesthesia.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this new website