Search

Anaesthetists should formally handover the patient, stay if their input is needed and leave the patient in a stable condition.^5,7,8

Anaesthetists should participate in departmental audit throughout a full audit cycle. This participation should adhere to the standards and principles outlined in the College’s Compendium of audit recipes.⁵⁰

An appropriately skilled and experienced resident anaesthetist should be available at all times to care for postoperative and emergency patients. The experience and skills necessary to provide this cover are not usually found in training grades below ST3.

Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) should work under the supervision of a consultant anaesthetist at all times as required by the RCoA.¹⁹

Any scheduled plastic surgery trauma lists should be organised and staffed by senior anaesthetists and surgeons, working regularly in that area and without conflicting clinical commitments.⁶³

There should be a named consultant anaesthetist responsible for every elective caesarean delivery operating list. This consultant should be immediately available. The named consultant should have no other clinical responsibilities.

The anaesthetist should have a competent trained assistant immediately available for the duration of any anaesthetic intervention and this practitioner should not have any other duties.³¹

It is the responsibility of those leading departments of anaesthesia, together with their constituent consultants, to ensure that AAs work under the immediate supervision of a consultant anaesthetist at all times.¹⁴

A small number of centres perform burn surgery. These centres should offer external training opportunities for anaesthetists, nursing staff, physiotherapists and other members of the multidisciplinary team.⁴⁸

Any scheduled burn lists should be organised and staffed by appropriately trained anaesthetists and surgeons, working regularly in that area, who have no conflicting clinical commitments.⁵⁰