Elections
The Council uses various elections to decide who becomes part of the College's core governance structure.
Interested in standing for a place on College Council?
Now's the time.
Welcome to the Royal College of Anaesthetists
Anaesthesia is the largest single hospital specialty in the NHS. We are the professional body responsible for the specialty throughout the UK.
We're here to support your needs. Find out more about:
Find out more about what we do
Training and careers
We're responsible for setting recruitment, training and assessment standards. This is how we're able to attract and then support the best doctors from medical schools.
Examinations
The Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA) examinations test the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes required by anaesthetists in training.
Research
The College supports the funding, development and delivery of high quality healthcare research.
Ways you can support our work
Membership
We are the third largest medical royal college in the UK by membership. With 24,000 Fellows and Members, we represent the three specialties of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.
Resources
We keep our fellows and members up-to-date with the latest news from the College and speciality via the Bulletin magazine and regular newsletters as well as providing free access to key academic journals.
Get involved
Your College thrives because of its strong and active membership. As we are keen to involve you in our work to help shape future strategy, we've created numerous volunteering roles for fellows and members within the College.
Upcoming events

Winter Symposium 2023
30 November 2023 Day 1: 0900-17.05 Day 2: 0915-17.15
Join us either online or in person at this year's hybrid symposium for a lively mix of lectures, debates and interactive sessions.
Latest news
Black History Month 2023
October is Black History Month and we welcome it as an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of black anaesthetists to the specialty and the NHS. This year’s theme is ‘Saluting Our Sisters’, in recognition of the fact that the many achievements of black women are too often overlooked.
ACSA accreditation for Manchester University Hospitals
Four hospitals within the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust have been reaccredited under the RCoA Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) scheme.
Nominations open: election to RCoA Council
Self-nominations for election to the Council of The Royal College of Anaesthetists are now open.