Anaesthetists in an IPS post need to demonstrate an ongoing significant interest in acute pain management by involvement in continuing professional development (CPD), appraisal and job planning.
A Royal College of Anaesthetists/Difficult Airway Society airway lead should be appointed in all hospitals providing anaesthetic services.7
Training should be provided as part of employment induction and should be repeated at regular intervals thereafter for anaesthetists, ward staff, doctors in training and other registered healthcare professionals.
Decision support systems for crisis scenarios should be available, for example the Association of Anaesthetists Quick Reference Handbook.110
Additional programmed activities for consultant or autonomously practising anaesthetists should be allocated for elective caesarean birth lists and antenatal anaesthetic clinics (or to review referrals if no formal clinic is in place).23 Time is required to identify and follow up potential anaesthetic morbidity and to arrange continuing investigation and referral.
Anaesthetists returning to paediatric practice after a period of absence should have a structured plan of induction and supervision in place which supports their learning needs so that they are competent to provide safe perioperative care for common non-complex elective and emergency procedures in children aged one year and older.64
Complex ophthalmic surgical cases often require specialised anaesthetic input. This may include patients having repeated ophthalmic procedures, long and difficult cases, and those potentially requiring specialist intravenous drug therapy, such as intravenous steroids, acetazolamide or mannitol. An anaesthetist of appropriate experience should have dedicated responsibility for operating lists containing such complex cases.
