2021 Curriculum for a CCT in Anaesthetics

The organisation and delivery of postgraduate training is currently the responsibility of the Health Education England (HEE) and Deaneries, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA). A TPD will be responsible for coordinating the anaesthetic training programme in each School of Anaesthesia with a College Tutor in each trust or hospital.

Progression through the programme will be determined by the annual review of curriculum progression (ARCP) process (section 5.8) and the training requirements for each indicative stage of training are summarised in the Anaesthetic ARCP decision aid. The successful completion of each stage of training will be dependent on achieving the expected level of attainment in all domains. The programme of assessment will be used to monitor and determine progress through the programme. Training will normally take place in a range of settings, e.g. in the community, district general hospitals, large teaching hospitals.

The sequence of training should ensure appropriate progression in experience and responsibility. The training to be provided at each training site will be designed to ensure that, during the programme, the entire curriculum is covered and also that unnecessary duplication and educationally unrewarding experiences are avoided. The sequence of training should be flexible enough to allow the anaesthetist in training to develop a special interest.

This flexibility should only be needed in exceptional circumstances but will be available to Schools to implement locally to reflect educational and service capacity and capability and enable the attainment of specific curricular outcomes. Where flexibility between Stage 2 and Stage 3 has been prospectively approved by the Training Programme Director, any deferred capabilities must be documented at the next ARCP on the LLP ARCP outcome form [see section 5.5.1]. The indicative training time for ST training remains 48 months full time equivalent. 

Schools of Anaesthesia will need to consider the appropriate breadth of experience and expected level of performance that must be considered during this phase of the training programme, before such flexibility may be applied. 

In particular, there will need to be a focus on the scope of practice and breadth of experience at the point of flexibility and the specific local training arrangements and supervision requirements to enable transitions and maintain patient safety. This may include the potential impact of a change in training site and arrangements for educational supervision.