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All children and young people should be assessed before their operation by an anaesthetist. Parents and carers, as well as the child, should be given the opportunity to ask questions and to be involved in the physical and psychological preparation for surgery.

Staff assigned to the role of anaesthetic assistant should not have any other duties that would prevent them from providing dedicated assistance to the anaesthetist during anaesthesia.⁵

The supervising consultant anaesthetist should not be responsible for more than two anaesthetised patients simultaneously, where one involves supervision of an AA.¹¹²

Perioperative time should be allocated for the work the anaesthetist undertakes on the day of procedure for both pre and postoperative care. The time required for pre and postoperative care will vary and should be accounted for in individual job plans.

Adequate time should be made available for IPS provision in job plans. Two clinical sessions for the lead(s) and one session for all other anaesthetists involved in the IPS is recommended per week.  

Information about airway and breathing such as the Royal College of Anaesthetist’s ‘Your airway and breathing during anaesthesia’ leaflet should be available.⁵²

Where organisational infrastructure is lacking to safely undertake major or complex vascular cases, e.g. where no critical care bed or vascular anaesthetist is available, clinical staff should not be pressured into proceeding with surgery.

Where scheduled procedures cannot be accommodated within normal list times, anaesthesia departments should make arrangements for anaesthetists to be relieved by a colleague.⁸

In units designated as complex arterial centres, additional programmed time should be allocated to vascular anaesthetists delivering this service to allow them to engage with the MDT and to provide support to allied specialties.

Where organisational infrastructure is lacking to safely undertake major or complex vascular cases (e.g. where no critical care bed or vascular anaesthetist is available), clinical staff should not be pressured into proceeding with surgery.