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All efforts should be made to ensure that anaesthetists in training receive adequate experience in emergency anaesthesia, and completion of workplace-based assessments should be supported.¹ Departments should monitor the frequency and the nature of non-theatre calls to establish whether the anaesthetists in training receive appropriate support and training and the patients receive adequate care. Departments should use this...

One or more named senior anaesthetists with appropriate training and expertise, and with an interest in head and neck surgery, should be responsible for directly or indirectly overseeing all complex and/or major head and neck procedures.⁵ All other regular sessions should have a named autonomously practising anaesthetist with appropriate skills assigned to them.⁶

At all times SAS anaesthetists who are not autonomously practising anaesthetists should be supervised at an appropriate level(1-4) of sessional supervision, varying depending on both their level, including their previous experience and capability, and the case or cases for which they are being supervised doing.^37,41,42

Every obstetric unit should have a designated lead anaesthetist (see Glossary) with specific programmed activities allocated for this role.²

Hospitals should have approved documentation defining safe staffing levels for anaesthetists and anaesthetic practitioners, including contingency arrangements for managing staffing shortfalls; annual reviews of compliance with these standards should be performed.

An anaesthetic job planned representative should attend regular multidisciplinary hip fracture management meetings and feedback any relevant learning points to departments of anaesthesia and individual anaesthetists, as appropriate. 

All anaesthetists providing anaesthesia for trauma and orthopaedics should have appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour in accordance with the RCoA training standards.⁹⁶

Anaesthetists who manage patients with major trauma should consider undertaking Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), European Trauma Course or equivalent training, and should update their training at regular intervals.

The anaesthetist should not be responsible for performing the cardioversion; an appropriately trained physician, cardiologist or supervised nurse specialist is responsible for this role.⁵⁰