Author: Dr John O’Rourke, Academic Clinical Fellow in Anaesthetics (ACFST3); Vice-Chair (Anaesthesia) for RAFT, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

With more than 4,000 resident anaesthetists in the UK, many of whom are involved in research through formal training programmes, fellowships, special interest areas (SIAs), or taking on projects alongside clinical work, the potential for collaboration and networking is huge.

The Research and Audit Federation of Anaesthetic Trainees (RAFT) is an umbrella organisation that brings together networks of resident anaesthetists from across the UK who have an interest in research. Supporting and leading collaborative research is at the core of RAFT, and this is no better demonstrated than in our fourth national project, the ‘POPPY’ study, investigating outcomes after day surgery.