Anaesthetists should contribute to the education and updating of midwives, anaesthesia assistants, obstetricians and intensive care staff involved in the care of maternity patients.25
Where scheduled procedures cannot be accommodated within normal list times, anaesthesia departments should make arrangements for anaesthetists to be relieved by a colleague.8
In units designated as complex arterial centres, additional programmed time should be allocated to vascular anaesthetists delivering this service to allow them to engage with the MDT and to provide support to allied specialties.
Where organisational infrastructure is lacking to safely undertake major or complex vascular cases (e.g. where no critical care bed or vascular anaesthetist is available), clinical staff should not be pressured into proceeding with surgery.
Availability of two consultant anaesthetists, or a consultant and senior trainee or SAS doctor, should be considered for more complex procedures, such as thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair.2
Consultant or autonomously practising anaesthetists in cardiac units should be responsible for the provision of service, teaching, protocol development, management, research and quality improvement. Adequate time should be allocated in job plans for these activities.
The standard of monitoring in the operating theatre should allow the conduct of safe anaesthesia for surgery as detailed by the Association of Anaesthetists standards of monitoring.10
Availability of two consultant anaesthetists, or a consultant and senior trainee or SAS doctor should be considered for more complex procedures, such as lung resection requiring ECMO1
Consultant or autonomously practising anaesthetists in thoracic units should be responsible for the provision of service, teaching, protocol development, management, research and quality improvement. Adequate time should be allocated in job plans for these activities.
