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The past two years as editor have been an honour, and I very much enjoyed reading and reviewing the broad range of interesting articles – from personal experience through to evidence-based initiatives. 

That is what makes the Bulletin so unique, there is an article (or I would hope more!) to suit the interest of each reader. This issue, as is traditional with the autumn issue, focuses on research and innovation within our specialties.

As the first female editor of the Bulletin of ethnic minority descent, it is heartening and relevant to close my tenure with a guest editorial centred on the NIHR’s Race Equality Framework. Ensuring equitable recruitment into research through a framework such as this, underpinned in co-development with those with lived experience, is a significant move forward towards equity and inclusion. Note: I emphasise equity, rather than equality. As a series of specialties, my heartfelt vision would be that, from patient recruitment through to opportunities in research and innovation, we achieve equity – access for all.

My first President’s View features edited highlights from a podcast I recorded with fellow Council Member and Bulletin Editor Dr Ramai Santhirapala. We discussed several topics including questions submitted by our membership engagement panel. 

You can listen to the full conversation on our Anaesthesia on Air podcast. I also recommend that you take a moment to watch or read the CEO update, in which Jono Brüün provides an update on recent decisions about Churchill House and finding a new home for the College.

It’s been nearly a year since we published our independent and internal reviews of the FRCA examination together with a commitment to develop our examination and review our processes. This article provides an overview of the positive steps taken since publication to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the examinations in the RCoA, FICM and FPM.

Our Awards allow us to recognise the outstanding, often hidden achievements in the fields of anaesthesia or relevant science, critical care medicine or pain medicine.

Our workforce is undoubtedly changing.

The latest GMC workforce report shows a striking 18% increase in the number of licensed doctors on its register between 2018 and 2022. Numbers have increased by 46%, most markedly among SAS and Locally Employed Doctors (LEDs), which is almost entirely down to a marked increase in the latter. LEDs are a very heterogenous group, including doctors just after foundation training (‘F3’), doctors in posts between core and specialty training, locum consultants and post-training fellows seeking further subspecialty experience. The biggest contingent however are trust-grade doctors and clinical fellows who arrive with medical qualifications gained abroad. The GMC currently registers significantly more international medical graduates (IMGs) than UK graduates every year at present.

There are also notable changes in employment behaviours among this cohort. Recently, significantly more of these IMGs have stayed in the UK beyond the short-term and more have entered training than previously. Some will seek entry to the specialist register via the portfolio pathway, but many hope to enter training in our specialty, typically at ST4 level.

Every year, anaesthetists in training (AiTs) undergo an Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP). ARCPs are a legal requirement and ensure that doctors are providing safe and high-quality patient care. They are used to assess progression against curriculum standards and provide evidence for General Medical Council (GMC) revalidation that happens every five years.

For AiTs, the ARCP panel reviews evidence submitted as part of the Educational Supervisors Structured Report (ESSR) on the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLP). The ESSR contains 16 sections and is the only thing visible to the ARCP panel, so it needs to be complete with all information required to ‘pass’ the ARCP!

Fortunately, the College has produced an in-depth checklist that outlines the requirements for a successful ARCP. This document clearly states what is required in each of the 16 sections for an Outcome 1 at ARCP. The ESSR itself must be created on the LLP after submission of all the prerequisite forms for all forms to pull through.

In this issue, we’re collaborating with the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of GB & Ireland (APAGBI) to focus on paediatric anaesthesia. The APAGBI have selected half a dozen resources from their own and our collection for you to enjoy, whether you’re an anaesthetist in training or an experienced consultant.

The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) has collaborated with the Perioperative Care for Older Patients (POPS) at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, the British Geriatric Society and ‘The Body Coach’ himself Mr Joe Wicks, to help get your patients fitter in 2025.

New Year, new beginnings: the two workout videos cater specifically for patients who require low-impact exercise prior to surgery. CPOC is delighted to collaborate with Joe Wicks to promote the benefits of healthy living and specifically design resources for patients awaiting surgery who may be unable to undertake high-intensity regimes. Our aim with Joe has been to create some great resources, and we hope your patients will find these accessible, helpful, and relevant to their needs.