2021 Curriculum for a CCT in Anaesthetics

The organisation of training programmes for Anaesthetics is the responsibility of HEE local offices and the devolved nations’ deaneries. The HEE local offices/deaneries will oversee programmes for postgraduate medical training in their regions. A TPD will be responsible for coordinating the anaesthetic training programme in each trust. The Schools of Anaesthesia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and NHS Education Scotland will undertake the following roles:

• oversee recruitment and induction of anaesthetists in training from foundation training to core anaesthetics and ACCS
• allocate anaesthetists in training into particular rotations for core anaesthetics appropriate to their curriculum training needs
• oversee the quality of training posts provided locally
• interface with other specialty training faculties (Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine, etc.) and other healthcare professionals
• ensure adequate provision of appropriate educational events
• ensure curricula implementation across training programmes
• oversee the supervised learning event process within programmes
• coordinate the ARCP process for anaesthetists in training
• provide adequate and appropriate career advice
• provide systems to identify and assist doctors with training difficulties
• provide flexible training
• recognise the potential of specific anaesthetists in training to progress into an academic career.

Educational programmes to train Educational Supervisors and assessors in supervised learning events may be delivered by HEE local offices/deaneries or by the RCoA or both.

Development, implementation, monitoring and review of the curriculum are the responsibility of the RCoA via the Training, Assessment, and Curriculum Committee. The Committee is formally constituted with representatives from England, the devolved nations and with anaesthetist in training and lay representation. It is the responsibility of the RCoA to ensure that curriculum developments are communicated to Heads of Schools, regional specialty training committees and TPDs.

The RCoA serves its role in quality management by monitoring and driving improvement in the standard of all anaesthetic training. The Training, Assessment, and Curriculum Committee is actively involved in assisting and supporting deaneries to manage and improve the quality of education within each of their approved training locations. It is tasked with activities central to assuring the quality of medical education such as writing the curriculum and assessment systems, reviewing applications for new posts and programmes, provision of external advisors to deaneries and recommending anaesthetists in training eligible for CCT or Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR).

The RCoA uses data from four quality datasets across the specialty to provide meaningful quality management. The datasets include the GMC National Training Survey (NTS) data, ARCP outcomes, FRCA examination outcomes and External Advisor reports. These datasets are monitored and reviewed to improve the provision of training and ensure enhanced educational experiences and form the basis of the annual report to the GMC on the quality of anaesthetic training nationally. These principles have been transferred to the new curriculum to ensure this continues.