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All anaesthetists should complete training in adult and paediatric life support, safeguarding and consent, appropriate to their clinical practice and case load (emergency as well as elective). Knowledge and skills in these domains should be maintained through CPD and planned as part of annual appraisal and personal development plans (PDP).

If a patient is transferred to the recovery unit with a tracheal tube in situ, the anaesthetist remains responsible for the removal of the tube but may delegate its removal. Delegation should be to an appropriately trained member of staff who is prepared to accept this delegated responsibility.¹⁸⁰

If responsibility for care is transferred from one anaesthetist to another, a ‘handover protocol’ should be followed, during which all relevant information concerning the patient’s medical history, medical condition, anaesthetic status, and plan should be communicated.¹⁸²

Anaesthetists should be given support and time to familiarise themselves with non-theatre locations and local working arrangements, (e.g. during induction sessions prior to undertaking on-call responsibilities).^13,131

When using the block room model, where work occurs in parallel, the anaesthetist should be immediately available for the first 15 minutes after siting the block and then immediately contactable and able to attend within 2 minutes for the duration of the procedure.¹⁶

The anaesthetist should invite and answer questions from the patient or, if appropriate, the patient’s relatives.