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Like Alexander of Macedon, the new curriculum has swept all before it. For Egypt, read regional anaesthesia; for the sacked cities of Tyre and Persepolis, read the subspecialties.

Although Pain may seem distant, much like Alexander reached India, the new curriculum has reached it.

In 2010 Pain featured as a module requiring a sign off (with 17 syllabus points) and Intermediate Level (18), and was optional at Higher and Advanced.

This has been replaced by compulsory HALOs at Stages 1, 2 and 3, with new and more generalised curriculum points.

Dyslexia is not just a learning difficulty affecting reading and writing; it can be related to difficulty processing and remembering information such as phonological processing, rapid naming, working memory, processing speed, and the autonomic development of skills.¹ 

Up to 10% of the population is estimated to have dyslexia. The newer term ‘neurodivergent’ is postulated to be the wider term, encompassing having cognitive functioning different from what is seen as ‘normal’,² and it includes dyslexia.

Authors:

• Dr Hannah Headon, Medical Education Fellow, King’s College NHS Foundation Trust, Anaesthetics South East London
• Dr Christopher James, ST6 Anaesthetics, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Kate Millar, ST4 Anaesthetics, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Joseph Lipton, Consultant Anaesthetist   Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

On 10 June 2022, the sun was shining and I was on my way to present at the RCoA’s College Tutors’ Meeting in Cardiff, feeling increasingly nervous and eager to share our hard work. 

However, my nerves were misplaced: the meeting was extremely friendly and our project, ‘The birth of the generic professional capabilities learning hub’, was well received – to the extent that it came second in the competition for the Singhota Family prize, awarded in memory of Dr Jasjot Singhota.

Authors: Dr Eleanor Warwick, Dr Rachael Brooks and Dr Michael Argent, HSRC/PQIP Fellows

Email the CR&I team

It has been another busy year for PQIP, and the project team are immensely grateful both to our participating sites and collaborators for their tireless efforts in data collection and investing in quality improvement, and to our patients who consent to be part of this study. 

PQIP has more than 50,000 patients recruited and this is entirely thanks to your efforts!

The SNAP-3 study is a prospective observational research study investigating the inter-relationship between frailty, multimorbidity and postoperative delirium. We aim to translate observational data into recommendations for clinicians and patients with a positive impact on patient care. 

A challenge for health services researchers is to discover new knowledge that is both relevant to clinicians and truly meaningful to patients.

Translational research describes the flow of scientific discovery through to population-level health impact. In this article, we will outline some of the principles we used in the SNAP-3 study to translate observational research into meaningful output through study design, analysis, and broad dissemination.

Part of the Quality Improvement Working Group’s (QIWG) role is to deliver the College’s Quality Improvement (QI) strategy. To accomplish this, we have been working to strengthen the Quality Network (QN), plan projects and events to promote QI development, and consider how best to engage members.

Context

After previously focusing on the QI compendium¹ and facilitating resource sharing during the COVID pandemic, this year the QIWG has worked to assess and strengthen the QN. Our ‘Prep, Stop, Block’ project was part of this strategy, a summary of which was included in July’s Bulletin,² with the full report available on the our website.

Authors:

• Dr Ros Bacon, Chair, RCoA Equivalence Committee
• Dr Ashwini Keshkamat, Deputy Chair, RCoA Equivalence Committee
• Dr Derek McLaughlin, Deputy Chair, RCoA Equivalence Committee
• Mr Russell Ampofo, RCoA Director of Education, Training and Examinations
• Ms Claudia Moran, RCoA Head of Training

Email our Equivalence team

The College is responsible for ensuring that anaesthetists meet the standards for Specialist Registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) and that UK and international medical professionals who seek independent practice in the UK have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience (KSE).

The increasing number of Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) applications and the GMC’s implementation of new regulatory pathways have presented challenges for the Equivalence Committee. The Equivalence Committee is committed, on behalf of the College and members, to maintaining standards. This article explores the proactive steps being taken by the College to support the Equivalence Committee and enhance the process of assessing CESR applications.

Meet our new research fellows and find more about them, their work and their interests outside anaesthesia.