Open letter to anaesthetists in training

Published: 27/07/2020

To all anaesthetists in training,

Next week marks the end of the educational year for many of you. We would like to take this opportunity on behalf of RCoA Council members and staff to formally offer our sincere thanks for your hard work and commitment over the past few months in supporting patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is entirely true to say that the national effort in managing this crisis would not have been possible without your involvement, in particular in supporting critical care services. We are profoundly grateful for the dedication and professionalism that you have shown and continue to show in the face of uncertainty and adversity.

We are acutely aware of the sacrifices you have made in terms of your time, energy and personal safety during these times. The surveys that we have conducted provide clear evidence of the huge challenges that you have faced both with your day to day clinical work and also areas such as recruitment, assessments and examinations. We are also aware of the impact on your lives and the stress and anxiety that the situation has caused. 

We are fully committed to supporting all of our anaesthetists in training now and in the future. There is clearly a long way to go and there will almost certainly be further challenges for our profession. However, we will seek to do everything we can to ensure that you are able to progress through your training programmes with the least disruption possible. In the meantime, we hope that you are able to celebrate your achievements in supporting services in the most difficult of circumstances and we reiterate our immense gratitude for everything that you have done.

Best wishes,

Dr Chris Carey