Anaesthetic Updates
Our three-day hybrid conference will help you stay informed when it comes to the key issues surrounding best anaesthetic practice.
**We have extended our in-person conference discount!
We are pleased to offer you 10% off your booking, if you book to attend the conference in person. Just enter 'EARLY10' in the discount code box to receive your exclusive discount.
This discount is valid for in-person bookings made on or before 23:59 on Saturday 30th May 2026.**
Connect. Learn. Inspire.
Stay ahead of the curve and join us for three days of new ideas in anaesthesia, critical care and pain management. Discover new developments on the horizon from today’s expert specialists and learn how best to combat the growing issues you will face in your anaesthetic practice.
Join us in June to connect with your peers, question the specialty experts, and bring back new ideas that will improve your own practice.
Whether you’re newly qualified or a seasoned consultant, this is your opportunity to:
- Network in person with colleagues from across the UK and beyond
- Share ideas and experiences in a collaborative, friendly setting
- Engage with expert-led lectures covering the latest evidence, practice updates, and policy changes
- Attend online if you can’t make it to London — with all sessions streamed live and available on demand post-conference
And when the day’s learning is done, enjoy everything London has to offer — world-class dining, culture, and entertainment just steps from the venue!
Feedback from our recent Anaesthetic Updates events:
- 'Essential for the general anaesthetist'
- 'I really enjoyed the event. I attended all three days and they all had excellent topics and speakers'
- "The clinical updates were all very useful for my current sphere of practice. The non-clinical talks were really enjoyable and thought provoking. Overall a good balance of topics compared to other conferences."
- "The best conference I have ever attended. Very informative and well delivered."
| 08.30 - 09.15 | Registration and refreshments | |
| 09.00-09.15 | Online platform opens - technical checks | |
| 09.15 - 09.20 | Welcome and introduction | Dr John Williams, Clinical Lead, Nottingham |
| Session 1 | Our Evolving Practice | Chair (Dr John Willliams) |
| 09.20-09.50 | GA vs Spinal Anaesthesia and (more important) "Controversies" in Hip Fracture Care | Dr Nick Freeman & Dr Ben Green, Leeds |
| 09.50-10.10 | Updates in Regional Anaesthesia | Dr Jenny Ferry, Wales |
| 10.10-10.30 | Update in the perioperative management of diabetes | Dr Nicholas Levy, Suffolk |
| 10.30-10.50 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 10.50-11.10 | BREAK | |
| 11.10-11.30 | Quickfire Finance - Navigating your NHS Pension (Q&A) | Cavendish Medical (Mr Farhan Ahmed) |
| Session 2 | The Global Picture | Chair (Dr Magesh Jayabalan – RCoA Council) |
| 11.30-12.00 | Clinical trials and research in Uganda | Dr Daphne Karusoke & Dr Laura Hobbs, Cambridge |
| 12.00-12.30 | Managing Military Casualties of War | Dr Samantha Jones, London (Wg Cdr RAF) |
| 12.30-12.45 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 12.45-13.45 | LUNCH | |
| Session 3 | Blood Matters | Chair (Dr Magesh Jayabalan – RCoA Council) |
| 13.45-14.15 | Management of direct oral anticoagulants: Neuraxial Anaesthesia and deep peripheral nerve blocks | Professor Alex Spyropoulos, New York - USA |
| 14.15-14.45 | Vasopressor use after non-cardiac surgery | Professor Ben Creagh-Brown, London |
| 14.45-15.00 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 15.00-15.30 | BREAK | |
| Session 4 | Cardiac Considerations | Chair (Dr Rachel Shaw – Clinical Lead) |
| 15.30-15.50 | Right Heart Failure and Practical anaesthesia | Dr Guillermo Martinez, Cambridge |
| 15.50-16.10 | Perioperative considerations for the cardiac patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery | Dr Rachel Wong, London |
| 16.10-16.35 | When to Operate after Cardiac Events | Professor Pierre Foëx, Oxford |
| 16.35-16.55 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 16.55-17.00 | Final remarks and close of Day 1 | Dr John Williams |
| 17.00-18.00 | Drinks reception - (in person only) |
**PLEASE NOTE: timings and talk themes may change
| 08.45-09.15 | Registration and refreshments | |
| 09.00-09.15 | Online platform opens - technical checks | |
| 09.15-09.20 | Welcome back and housekeeping | Dr Rachel Shaw, London |
| Session 5 | Beyond Routine - Extreme Cases | Chair (Dr Stuart Gold, Clinical Lead) |
| 09.20-09.40 | Managing high risk patients | Dr Gemma Scotland, Glasgow |
| 09.40-10.00 | Clamping down on Chaos: The Art of Trauma, Vascular Anaesthesia | Dr Sadie Syed, London |
| 10.00-10.20 | Major trauma in the elderly | Dr Simon Mercer, Liverpool |
| 10.20-10.40 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 10.40-11.10 | BREAK | |
| 11.10-11.30 | Quickfire Finance - lifestyle planning & investments (Q&A) | Cavendish Medical (Mr Samuel Kirton) |
| Session 6 | Optimising Oxygen | Chair (Dr Rachel Shaw, London) |
| 11.30-12.00 | From A to B and C: optimising immobilisation by High-frequency Jet Ventilation | Dr Shaun Scott, Oxford |
| 12.00-12.30 | Exercise is good for you? | Dr Timothy Owen, London |
| 12.30-12.45 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 12.45-13.45 | LUNCH | |
| 13.45-14.30 | KEYNOTE Lecture ‘Medical futility and non-beneficial treatment at end-of-life’ |
Dr Emma Temple, Sheffield |
| Session 7 | Safer Surgery | Chair (TBC) |
| 14.30-14.50 | Mind the Gap: Socioeconomic Deprivation and Postoperative Outcomes | Dr Eimear Lusby, Brighton |
| 14.50-15.10 | Improving emergency surgery pathways | Dr Carolyn Johnston, London |
| 15.10-15.30 | Civility as the key to improving safety in the operating theatre | Dr Deborah Fradkin, Manchester |
| 15.30-15.50 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 15.50-16.20 | BREAK | |
| Hot Topic: Beyond Opioids | ||
| 16.20-16.40 | The nonopioid antagonist suzetrigine for analgesia | Professor Jeff Gadsden, North Carolina - USA |
| 16.40-16.50 | Discussion and Q&A | |
| 16.50-16.55 | Final remarks and close of day 2 | Dr Rachel Shaw |
**PLEASE NOTE: timings and talk themes may change
| 08.45-09.15 | Registration and refreshments | |
| 09.00-09.15 | Online platform opens - technical checks | |
| *09.15-09.20 | Welcome back and housekeeping | Dr Stuart Gold, Clinical Lead, Bath |
| 09.20-10.00 | KEYNOTE Lecture ‘Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation – The State of the Art’ |
Professor Jerry Nolan, Bath |
| Session 8 | Refining Clinical Practice | Chair (Dr Eimear Lusby, Brighton) |
| 10.00-10.20 | Allergy testing in perioperative medicine | Dr Louise Savic, Leeds |
| 10.20-10.40 | Narcolepsy, Cataplexy & The Anaesthetist | Dr Andrew Hall, Leicester |
| 10.40-11.00 | Local anaesthetic resistance and ADHD | Dr Richard Craddock, Bristol |
| 11.00-11.20 | Discussion and Q&A | All panel |
| 11.20-11.50 | BREAK | |
| Session 9 | Equity and Outcomes - Obstetrics | Chair (Dr Stuart Gold, Bath) |
| 11.50-12.10 | What should we use? Drug choices in obstetric general anaesthesia | Dr Robert Craig, London |
| 12.10-12.30 | Pain relief in labour - tackling inequalities | Dr Seema Quasim, Coventry |
| 12.30-12.50 | Managing quality of recovery | Dr James O'Carroll, London |
| 12.50-13.10 | Discussion and Q&A | |
| 13.10-14.00 | LUNCH | |
| Session 10 | Human Factors | Chair (TBC) |
| 14.00-14.30 | Toxic Leadership in Medicine | Dr Karin Becke-Jakob, Switzerland |
| 14.30-15.00 | Team working in operating theatre: a surgical view | Ms Gillian Tierney, Nottingham |
| 15.00-15.15 | Discussion and Q&A | |
| Session 11 | Redefining Technology | Chair (TBC) |
| 15.15-15.35 | Healthcare technology or technology healthcare - a clinical blueprint for AI | Dr James Bowness, London |
| 15.35-15.55 | How patient interactions with AI are changing | Dr Maya Sussman, London |
| 15.55-16.15 | Can we predict Alzheimer’s? | Mr Nick Nettleton, London |
| 16.15-16.35 | Discussion and Q&A | |
| 16.35-16.40 | Final remarks and close of conference | Dr Stuart Gold |
**PLEASE NOTE: timings and talk themes may change
Pricing
Pricing detailed below to attend in-person:
We have extended our in-person conference discount!
We are pleased to offer you 10% off your booking, if you book to attend the conference in person. Just enter 'EARLY10' in the discount code box to receive your exclusive discount.
This discount is valid for in-person bookings made on or before 23:59 on Saturday 30th May 2026.
Pricing detailed below to attend online:
Pricing Terms and Conditions
Payment must be made at the time of booking unless otherwise stated. The RCoA, FICM and FPM are unable to hold places on events without payment. Credit or debit card payments must be made online via our card payment handler Stripe, or by phone. We do not accept purchase orders or raise invoices for places on our events.
Discounts are available for some membership types at the rates stated below. You must be eligible for the discount both at the time of the booking and at the time of the event itself. We may ask for proof of your member status at any point. If you are unable to prove your entitlement to the discount we may charge you the full event rate, or invite you to update your membership status accordingly. In such a situation we may withhold access to the event until your updated payment clears, or your new membership status is confirmed.
We are offering a fee for Low Middle Income Countries for online attendance, the cost will be £15 per day. Please email events@rcoa.ac.uk to check your eligibility.
Visiting London
Planned TFL tube strikes - information
There are currently planned strikes running across all underground networks, due to take place:
- Tuesday 16 June to Wednesday 17 June
- Thursday 18 June to Friday 19 June
*All strikes run from 12:00 midday to 12:00 midday the following day, but disruption will continue into the afternoons and evenings of strike days.
We do not expect these strikes to affect the conference, as the venue is located within walking distance of a number of stations with national rail services:
- 6 min walk - Farringdon Station
- 10 min walk - City Thameslink
- 15 min walk - Moorgate Station
- 20 min walk - London Liverpool Street Station
- 20 min bus - Kings Cross/St Pancras Station (Lines 46, 63, 17)
- 10 min Thameslink - Kings Cross/St Pancras Station
All London buses, London Overground & Elizabeth Line services will run normally across the days of the planned strikes.
Please note: strikes may be cancelled between now and the event date/s, and we will notify all in-person bookings should this be confirmed at any stage via email.
If you have any questions around travelling to the event or any concerns, do drop the team an email events@rcoa.ac.uk and we would be happy to assist you.
Grange Hotels
The RCoA have agreed a preferential rate with the Grange Hotels, all within a short walk of the College. To book click the link below and enter code 'C0000712' for the discount to be applied.
- The Beauchamp - Classic room - £159 plus VAT
- The Buckingham - Double Studio - £159 plus VAT
- The Portland - Double Studio - £159 plus VAT
- The Clarendon - Superior room - £149 plus VAT
Other room types and prices are available at each hotel.
Grange Hotels - CLICK HERE to access the booking platform.
The RCoA accepts no responsibility for your booking or stay with the above hotels. Any queries should be directed to the Hotel.
DoubleTree by Hilton, London
You can book directly with the DoubleTree by Hilton to secure a preferential rate.
DoubleTree by Hilton - CLICK HERE to access the booking platform.
Enter the corporate code under the “Special Rates” section by selecting “Corporate Account.” The code to enter is 113507907.
Please note, at peak dates there may be limited availability.
DoubleTree by Hilton London - West End, 92 Southampton Row, London, WC1B 4BH
The RCoA accepts no responsibility for your booking or stay with the above hotels. Any queries should be directed to the Hotel.