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All patients undergoing anaesthesia should be under the care of an autonomously practising anaesthetist whose name is recorded as part of the anaesthetic record.^4,95

Anaesthetists who work regularly within the radiology department should be issued with personal dosimeters by their employer to monitor their radiation exposure and to ensure that levels remain within statutory dose limits.⁵⁸

A process should be in place for the formal assessment of anaesthetists before allowing them to join the on-call rota for obstetric anaesthesia with distant supervision.^20,122

Anaesthetists who provide emergency care outside burn services should be trained in the initial management of the patient with severe burns, including timely emergency assessment, resuscitation and transfer to a burns service.⁶¹

Continuity of care should be a priority in prolonged procedures and, when this is not possible, a formal documented process with some overlap should be in place for handover of clinical care from one anaesthetist to another.²

All patients requiring anaesthesia, pain management or perioperative medical or critical care should have a named and documented supervisory autonomously practising anaesthetist (see Glossary) who has overall responsibility for the care of the patient.

General anaesthesia for dental procedures should be administered only by anaesthetists in a hospital setting as defined by the Department of Health report reviewing general anaesthesia and conscious sedation in primary dental care.³ 

All patients should have a named and documented supervisory consultant anaesthetist who has overall responsibility for the care of the patient.^44,45 A suitably trained and experienced staff grade, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) doctor could be the named anaesthetist on the anaesthetic record if local governance arrangements have agreed in advance that the individual doctor can take...

An appropriately trained and experienced anaesthetist should be present throughout the conduct of anaesthesia for all procedures, including those procedures requiring intravenous sedation (where provision of this service has been agreed by the anaesthetic department). In exceptional circumstances, for example, where urgent treatment for another patient requires the anaesthetist to leave the patient, they should delegate responsibility to another appropriate...

All anaesthetists, AAs and anaesthetic assistants should receive systematic training in the use of new equipment. This should be clearly documented.¹⁴¹ Anaesthetists should not use equipment unless they have been trained to use it and are competent to do so. The NHS Clinical Negligence Scheme for trusts and Healthcare Improvement Scotland require that hospitals ensure all personnel are trained...