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Patients requiring head and neck procedures should be attended by anaesthetists who have had an appropriate level of training in this field and who have acquired the relevant knowledge and skills needed to care for these patients.^41,42 

Departments should review the responsibilities of anaesthetists as part of job planning.  This includes out of hours commitments and the scope of the individual’s practice, as well as any additional roles and responsibilities.^{17, 24, 25}

Job reviews should take into consideration individual risk assessments for anaesthetists in the context of environmental threats, ill health, pregnancy and breastfeeding, menopause, fatigue, and the impacts of ageing. Where relevant advice from an accredited specialist in occupational medicine should be sought.²⁷

Departments should consider having flexibility in the day-to-day rota so that there are more anaesthetists working in a clinical area, such as a theatre suite, than there are procedures being carried out to ensure that this cover is always immediately available. The size of the additional staffing resource is dependent on the number of anaesthetic procedures underway simultaneously and the...

Facilities should be provided for regular rest breaks and refreshments as well as quiet facilities for sleep during and after shifts for anaesthetists working overnight.^34,43,59,60

The anaesthetist should contribute in the multidisciplinary perioperative care process which focuses on preoptimisation, patient education, standardised enhanced recovery pathways of care aimed at delivering early mobility, discharge, and early return to normal life.^46,62 The option of doing nothing should be considered where relevant.^63,64

In all centres admitting children, one or more anaesthetist should be appointed as clinical lead (see Glossary) for paediatric anaesthesia. Typically, they should undertake at least one paediatric list each week and will be responsible for co-ordinating and overseeing anaesthetic services for children, with particular reference to teaching and training, audit, equipment, guidelines, pain management and resuscitation. There should...

Anaesthetists should be aware of legislation and good practice guidance relevant to children and according to the location in the UK.^{106,107,108,109,110,111,112} These documents refer to the rights of the child, child protection processes and consent.

Any autonomously practising anaesthetist providing cover for the labour ward regularly or on an ad hoc basis must undertake continuing professional development (CPD) in obstetric anaesthesia and must have enough exposure to obstetric patients to maintain appropriate skills. This could be achieved through allocation of supernumerary sessions on the labour ward or in elective caesarean lists while reviewing appropriate CPD...

Appropriate staffing levels and skill mix should be provided in all units: multispecialty general hospitals, isolated units and large single-specialty centres delivering ophthalmic anaesthesia. For most operating sessions this should include surgeon, anaesthetist, two theatre-trained scrub practitioners, one trained nurse or operating department practitioner to assist with local anaesthesia/patient monitoring and one theatre support worker/runner.^2,3