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Any anaesthetist working on the labour ward should also regularly undertake non-obstetric work to ensure maintenance of a broad range of skills.

Anaesthetists should be an integral part of locally developed networks looking at obstetric services.²⁵

Anaesthetists caring for paediatric burns patients should be trained in paediatric multimodal pain management.⁵¹

An anaesthetist should be physically present when a general anaesthetic is administered. In exceptional circumstances, anaesthetists working singlehandedly may be called on briefly to assist with or perform a lifesaving procedure nearby. This is a matter for individual judgement, and the dedicated anaesthetic assistant should be present to monitor the unattended patient.⁸

The clinical lead (see glossary) anaesthetist in burn and plastic surgery units will be responsible for the provision of service, teaching, production of guidelines, management, research, and audit, and be able to support quality improvement initiatives. Sufficient time should be included in job plans to support these activities and the continuing professional development of those anaesthetists.

The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for the management of adults with severe respiratory failure is currently confined to five UK cardiothoracic centres. Anaesthetists often institute ECMO and support retrieval of patients from non-specialist hospitals. Anaesthetists providing ECMO should be suitably trained.⁵⁴