The ACSA standards

What are the standards?

The ACSA standards are based on recommendations from the College’s Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthetic Services (GPAS). The GPAS document is reviewed annually, to ensure that it remains up to date with national recommendations and any additions or amendments are reflected in a periodic review of the standards. Feedback from ACSA reviewers and engaged departments is also taken into account to ensure that they are worded for maximum clarity.

• Domains 1-4 cover all aspects of general anaesthetic care provided in all hospitals in the UK and include standards that cover both adult and paediatric services.  The ACSA standards also contain a fifth domain which focuses on the provision of additional levels of specialised care delivered in specialist hospitals or general hospitals with a large and separate subspecialty unit.
• All ACSA standards are mapped to the CQC Key Lines of Enquiry (KLoE) and the Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW) and Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) inspection domains.  The GPAS references are also listed against each standard, to allow for easy consultation if further detail is required.

Gain access to the 2025 ACSA standards in several formats:

• Login to the online portal to view the standards and complete your self-assessment (If your department isn't currently registered, find out how to register here).
• If preparing for a review, you will be required to submit your self-assessment through the online portal.
• In addition, below you can download a PDF version of the standards along with it's supporting GPAS reference/s in full.
• There is an Excel version which you may also find useful for conducting your gap-analysis, although we recommend you use the portal for this purpose.
• The summary of changes document details changes between the previous 2023 version and the current set of standards.