Draft SOP for Anaesthesia Associates
The final draft for the RCoA Scope of Practice for Anaesthesia Associates has been published at the RCoA website. RA-UK President Dr Nat Haslam was invited by the RCoA to sit on the core writing group, and was able to represent the views of the RA-UK board and the wider membership on this important topic.
A briefing has been made available, which contains the following explainer.
The AA curriculum and AARA require an AA to learn how to deliver simple regional blocks (SRB), but the specific blocks required have remained undefined. Following the introduction of the 2021 anaesthetic curriculum, it has become clear that there is an issue with the availability of both training opportunities and trainers within the delivery of regional anaesthesia as a practical skill on a national level. To this end, the CWG and Regional Anaesthesia-UK (RA-UK), supported by discussions at RCoA Council, have taken the view that regional anaesthesia does not need to be within the remit of AAs in clinical practice. The priority should remain to train AiTs, SAS anaesthetists and anaesthetic consultants in the delivery of regional anaesthesia while this gap in training, experience and practice persists.
Furthermore, RA-UK are of the opinion that in the context of AA practice an SRB relates to an infra-inguinal fascia-iliaca block (IIFIB) only. To protect patients from loss of a service, and to support AAs in established practice who are already delivering regional anaesthesia, transition arrangements have been proposed which will allow this to continue under specified governance structures and defined levels of supervision.
