The College is committed to improving patient safety

Patient safety lies at the heart of healthcare. We are committed to improving patient safety through the maintenance and advancement of standards in anaesthesia.

Find out more

Welcome to the Royal College of Anaesthetists

Anaesthesia is the largest single hospital specialty in the NHS. We are the professional body responsible for the specialty throughout the UK.

We're here to support your needs. Find out more about:

Find out more about what we do

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Training and careers
We're responsible for setting recruitment, training and assessment standards. This is how we're able to attract and then support the best doctors from medical schools.
Final FRCA Examinations

Examinations
The Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA) examination tests the knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes required by anaesthetists in training.
Simulation training in anaesthesia

Research
The College supports the funding, development and delivery of high quality healthcare research.

Ways you can support our work

Membership

Membership
We are the third largest medical royal college in the UK by membership. With 24,000 Fellows and Members, we represent the three specialties of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.
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Resources
We keep our fellows and members up-to-date with the latest news from the College and speciality via the Bulletin magazine and regular newsletters as well as providing free access to key academic journals.
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Get involved
Your College thrives because of its strong and active membership. As we are keen to involve you in our work to help shape future strategy, we've created numerous volunteering roles for fellows and members within the College.

Latest news

Latest PQIP report highlights key areas of improvement
New research from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and UCL shows that almost one in three patients (30%) having major non-cardiac surgery do not receive an individualised risk assessment despite recommendations from NHSE and the GMC.

Response to Lord Darzi's investigation
The Royal College of Anaesthetists responds to Lord Darzi’s investigation into the NHS in England.

Nominations Open: Election to RCoA Council
Self-nominations for election to the Council of The Royal College of Anaesthetists are now open.

Upcoming events

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Anaesthesia 2025
Our Anaesthesia 2025 flagship conference will take place in Belfast and online in May 2025 for three days.
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Winter Symposium 2024
Attend our two-day annual winter symposium to connect with experts in anaesthesia and enjoy a lively mix of lectures, debates and awards. Join us in London or online.

Membership provides a variety of benefits to both you as an individual member, but also to the specialty of anaesthesia.

Become a member