Safety, standards and quality

The College sets the highest standards for anaesthesia and patient care

We work with anaesthetists to improve safety and quality of the service they provide. We aim for our standards to be current and applicable to all UK public and independent healthcare environments, so they provide clear and concise direction.

Read about our guidance

The College is committed to setting the highest standards for anaesthesia and patient care, and to working with anaesthetists to improve the service they provide. This work is supported by high-quality research and innovation and is focused on improving patients’ safety, wellbeing and outcomes.

Ensuring safety

Anaesthesia is central to the delivery of effective hospital care and we remain committed to ensuring patient safety. The Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group (SALG), a partnership with the Association of Anaesthetists and other national health organisations, brings together UK stakeholders for all anaesthesia-related safety issues.

Delivering high standards, audit and accreditation practices

Our work in setting, measuring and promoting standards of good anaesthetic practice is world-class and underpinned by our award-winning national audit programme. Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) is our peer review accreditation scheme for anaesthetic departments. ACSA is highly regarded and makes a positive impact on improving anaesthetic services across the health sector. Our expert advice is sought at individual and departmental level through our invited review service.

Improving quality

We are committed to improving quality through examinations and training, setting evidence-based standards for clinical practice and funding world-class research. We support hospital-based quality improvements by using nationally-gathered data to help members deliver real time, measurable improvements.

Read more about our work to improve safety, standards and quality

Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation
ACSA is a voluntary scheme for NHS and independent sector organisations that offers quality improvement through peer review and is the College's flagship scheme.

The ACSA process
The ACSA process involves self-assessment, an on-site review by an ACSA review team and further evidence submission in order to achieve accreditation.

The ACSA standards
Every ACSA standard is based on recommendations from the College’s Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthetic Services (GPAS). You can freely register on the ACSA online portal to access a self-assessment tool to conduct your gap analysis.

Guidance and resources
The College is committed to setting the highest standards for anaesthesia services and patient care, and providing the guidance anaesthetists need to meet these standards.

Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthetic Services
GPAS forms the basis of recommendations produced by the Royal College of Anaesthetists for anaesthetists with responsibilities for service delivery and for healthcare managers

Consultation and Endorsement
The RCoA offers collaboration on guidance through its Consultation and Endorsement Group, which is made up of clinicians and College staff

Patient Safety

The RCoA is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety for all patients.

Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group
The Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group (SALG) is a collaborative project between the Association of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Anaesthetists and NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Unrecognised oesophageal intubation
Unrecognised oesophageal intubation: the College receives reports to prevent future deaths from the coroner when the coroner is concerned that future deaths could occur unless action is taken. This page details initiatives by the College in response to coroner's reports.

Clinical Leaders
The aim of the Clinical Leaders is to promote and encourage information sharing and good practice between clinical directors in UK NHS departments of anaesthesia, intensive care medicine and pain management.

Invited Reviews
The invited review programme is an advisory service offered to NHS and independent healthcare organisations in the UK who feel that they would benefit from expert and independent advice to support locally implemented solutions to improve the anaesthesia services they offer.

Quality Improvement
Our Quality Improvement (QI) work aims to facilitate and strengthen delivery of comprehensive improvement and safety programs aligned with College professional standards, accreditation and education.

Have a question that is not answered by our published guidance and standards?

Contact the Clinical Quality team