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Authors:

• Dr Rachel Holmes, CT4 ACCS Anaesthetics, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust
• Dr Suzanne Taylor, Consultant Anaesthetist, Mid-Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
• Dr Susannah Thoms, Consultant Anaesthetist, Mid-Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

Society for Education in Anaesthesia UK (SEAUK)

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The 2021 RCoA curriculum states that ‘access to high-quality, supportive and constructive feedback is essential for the professional development of the anaesthetist in training’.¹ So, what do we mean by feedback, and what do we want this feedback to achieve?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines feedback as: ‘advice, criticism or information about how good or useful something or somebody’s work is’, only this is just half of the story. Another definition, relevant to us as trainers and learners, would be: ‘the information sent to an entity about its prior behaviour so that the entity may adjust its current and future behaviour to achieve the desired results’.² In the context of anaesthesia training, information is provided on the gap between a learner’s performance and a standard set by the RCoA, with suggestions on how the gap might be bridged. Self-reflection on any feedback is a vital ingredient to consolidating the learning achieved.

Authors:

• Dr Xiaoxi Zhang, ST6 Trainee, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Helgi Johannsson, Consultant Anaesthetist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Dr Amardeep Riyat, Consultant Anaesthetist, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
• Dr Roger Sharpe, Consultant Anaesthetist, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

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Becoming a consultant is a stressful and vulnerable time during a doctor’s career. Negotiating a new identity, taking on ultimate responsibility for patient care, becoming the team leader rather than a team member are all difficult even in the best circumstances, especially when integrating into a new team.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, changing the role from doctor in training to consultant became even more challenging, especially as many hospitals were at that time utterly overwhelmed. We conducted a qualitative analysis of the experiences of anaesthetists and intensivists transitioning to consultant positions during the pandemic,¹ and in this article we want to share the experiences of those doctors who transitioned into their consultant roles during the absolute peak of this global crisis. Their stories offer unique insights on ways of supporting new consultants and highlight the urgent need to improve staff retention and wellbeing in today’s NHS.

Find out the latest appointments approved, and with sadness we record the deaths of some of our fellows. 

Interested in standing for a place on College Council? Self-nominations are currently open for three consultant positions and two positions for anaesthetists in training.

We asked Chris Taylor, Consultant Council member, and Catherine Bernard, Anaesthetist in Training Council member, why they decided to stand in last year’s election, and more.

The NHS is responsible for emissions equivalent to 25 megatonnes of CO₂, approximately 5% of the UK’s carbon footprint.^1,2 Healthcare is key to the UK’s COP26 target to reduce the national environmental footprint, with ambitions for a net-zero NHS by 2040.² Anaesthetic gases are a key contributor of NHS emissions, being responsible for 2% of the total NHS footprint.¹ Pressure to reduce the environmental impact of anaesthesia is therefore growing.

SAS doctors play a pivotal role within the anaesthetic workforce, and it is imperative for organisations to establish robust support structures to nurture their professional development. Unlocking the full potential of each SAS doctor not only benefits them personally, but also augments the services they provide and ultimately enhances patient care.

SAS doctors are crucial in anaesthesia, necessitating robust support structures for their growth. Unleashing their potential both benefits them personally and enhances patient care. Vital support includes that of an SAS tutor, a trust local negotiating committee representative, and an SAS advocate. The Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthesia Services (GPAS) define exemplary departments and highlight non-clinical attributes vital for success. Notably, roles like ‘SAS clinical lead’ and ‘SAS mentor’ empower SAS doctors for self-determined career paths.

In this issue, we focus on revalidation guidance for doctors returning to clinical practice after a period of absence. This is an issue which our helpdesk receives a number of enquiries about.

The revalidation cycle typically allows for short periods of absence during a five-year cycle. Some types of supporting information – such as colleague and patient feedback – don’t need to be collected each year, and where doctors have been unable to collect sufficient supporting information, their responsible officer may recommend a deferment of their revalidation to the GMC in order to allow them sufficient time to address these gaps.

Author: Dr Stuart Connal, Specialty Registrar in Anaesthesia, North Central London Deanery

Perioperative Journal Watch is written by TRIPOM (trainees with an interest in perioperative medicine – tripom.org) and is a brief distillation of recent important papers and articles on perioperative medicine from across the spectrum of medical publications.

Welcome to October's issue of the Bulletin. As I write this piece, we may be struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel for UK healthcare; an unprecedented state of industrial action by doctors at all stages of their careers, the recent release of an open report on sexual misconduct in healthcare and, as clinicians, the challenges of ensuring high quality care for patients can be a daily struggle. The height of the pandemic may be behind us, but the disparities it has revealed will have to be addressed for years to come.

October is Black History Month, and we welcome it as an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of black anaesthetists to the specialty and the NHS. This year’s theme is ‘Saluting Our Sisters’, in recognition of the fact that the many achievements of black women are too often overlooked. Over the course of the month, we aim to share profiles of some of our members whose achievements and perspectives we want to champion.

One such colleague is Dr Sethina Watson, who gave the address at this year’s Ceremony of Presentation of Diplomates, or ‘Dips Day’ as it is more commonly known. It was an inspiring speech, not only because it demonstrated the extraordinary determination evident in Sethina’s own path to becoming an anaesthetist, but also because of her ability to articulate the differences in our individual experiences while also identifying the motivations we have in common. We have shared Sethina’s speech on our website and it is well worth a read.

As always, Dips Day was a thoroughly enjoyable day all round, and it was a privilege to be part of people’s celebrations and to witness the pride and happiness of their families and friends.