Departments should ensure that vascular anaesthetists and support staff are available to provide a year round service. This should include prospective cover for sickness and planned leave.4
Autonomously practising anaesthetists and intensivists should be involved in the planning of local trauma services. Those with defined responsibility for major trauma management should be engaged in the layout and logistics of the resuscitation room, interventional radiology and theatres suites.
Healthcare workers, including the anaesthetist, must be aware of the local policy for child protection, and that they have an obligation to document and report any concerns to a responsible individual.85
In non-specialist paediatric tertiary centres, consultant anaesthetists who care for children should have the opportunity to undertake regular supernumerary attachments to operating lists or secondments to specialist tertiary paediatric centres.
Online imaging results from referring hospitals and within the neuroscience centre should be available locally, and consideration should be given to the provision of remote access for all anaesthetists who provide cover to neuroanaesthesia out of hours.
Consultant anaesthetists who provide out of hours cover to the neuroscience unit but do not provide neuroanaesthesia in working hours should be able to demonstrate the maintenance of appropriate skills and knowledge through regular clinical involvement and CPD.
Anaesthetists assigned to provide cover for emergency lists should not also be assigned to undertake other activities such as elective work or supporting professional activities or independent practice.94
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.33
Where possible, equipment such as monitors, video recorders and airway simulators should be made available to facilitate anaesthetic education. Time to educate all anaesthetists in elective, emergency and advanced airway management techniques should be encouraged.
