Following consultation with our members and other stakeholders we have published the Interim AA Scope of Practice 2024, which is endorsed by the Association of Anaesthetists.  

The scope of practice provides a safe and clear framework for AAs to contribute to the provision of high-quality anaesthetic care for patients. It presents clearly defined phases of practice from qualification onwards, including the levels of supervision required.  

We expect all departments who train and employ AAs in the UK to implement this scope of practice within the timeline outlined in the document. We believe it is a positive development in safeguarding standards of care for the benefit of patients, the public and our members.  

Regulation of AAs has now begun, and we are working with the GMC to ensure the AA curriculum aligns as closely as possible with the new scope of practice.  

Alongside the scope of practice, we have published a transparent account of its development, including a list of the changes made in response to the consultation. We have also published Research by Design’s independent report of our member consultation and responses received from organisations (where they have given us permission to do so).  

We will review the AA scope of practice in 2025 following completion of the independent review of physician and anaesthesia associate professions commissioned by the Government and led by Professor Gillian Leng. For that reason, the scope of practice is presented as an interim document.  

If you have any questions about implementation of the scope of practice, please submit them using our online form. If we receive questions along common themes we will publish our responses as FAQs on our website.   

In light of the independent review, our request for a pause in recruitment of new student AAs remains in place at least until the review has been completed and Council has had the opportunity to review Professor Leng’s report and recommendations.  

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the development of the AA Scope of Practice and responded to our consultation.  

Consultation responses  

Our consultation on the draft Anaesthesia Associate Scope of Practice 2024 was conducted independently by Research by Design and ran from 23 September to 23 October 2024. We received 3,357 responses from individual members (an 18.8% response rate) and 18 responses from organisations and anaesthetic departments.  

The Core Writing Group carefully considered all responses to the consultation, which have informed the final version of the scope of practice.  

Overall, a greater proportion of respondents agreed (45%) than disagreed (38%) that the draft AA scope of practice can be implemented. And more respondents agreed than disagreed with the roles, procedures and supervision levels in phases 1 and 2 of the draft scope of practice.  

However, a greater number disagreed than agreed with the roles, procedures and supervision levels in phase 3 of the draft scope of practice and with the proposed plan for transition for AAs currently in clinical practice.  

In light of this, the most significant changes made to the scope of practice in response to the consultation concern the practice of AAs with more than four years’ experience post qualification (phase 3) and the plan for transition to the 2024 scope of practice for AAs in current clinical practice. The changes are listed in full in the explanatory notes.

Responses from organisations included: 

• Association of Anaesthesia Associates
• British Medical Association
• General Medical Council
• NHSE
• Organisation A and Organisation B

Responses from departments included:  

• Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
• Lancaster University Anaesthesia Associate Programme
• NHS Lanarkshire
• PatientsVoices@RCoA
• Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
• University Hospital Hairmyres
• University Hospital Monklands
• West Suffolk Hospital