Anaesthesia 2026
Our Anaesthesia 2026 flagship conference will take place in Brighton and online in May 2026 for three days.
Our Anaesthesia 2026 flagship conference will take place in Brighton and online over three days in May 2026.
You can expect:
- world-class speakers sharing the latest insights and research across anaesthesia, ICU, and beyond
- cutting-edge topics
- practical tools you can take back to your workplace, from improving communication to enhancing patient safety
- interactive sessions designed to challenge and inspire
- unmatched networking opportunities with peers, thought leaders, and industry partners
- gain up to 15 CPD credits
- flexible access to content – join us in person or online for one, two or all three days, and access key sessions on demand.
Whether you're looking to expand your expertise, exchange ideas, or simply reconnect with colleagues, Anaesthesia 2026 offers an experience that’s both professionally rewarding and personally energising.
Reasons to join us in Brighton:
- Vibrant seaside atmosphere
Brighton is a lively coastal city with a laid-back, creative vibe — a refreshing change from typical big-city conference venues. - Walkable and compact
The city is easy to navigate, with many hotels and restaurants within walking distance. - Great transport links
It's just an hour from London by train and easily accessible from Gatwick Airport, making travel simple. - Cultural scene
Take in art galleries, independent shops, music venues, and the iconic Brighton Pier while you're in town. - Food and drink
Brighton boasts a diverse food scene, including vegan eateries, seafood spots, and quirky cafes — perfect for networking or relaxing post-conference. - Work-life balance
The beach, parks, and surrounding South Downs National Park offer space to recharge, ideal if you're combining business with a personal wellness break.
All conference materials and lectures will be available on demand to delegates after the event for six months.
Please note that you are able to attend a mix of both in-person and online. If this is something you'd like to book, please give us a call on 020 7092 1673.
| 08.45-09.30 | REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS | |
| 09.25-09.30 | Online platform opens – technical checks | |
| 09.30-09.40 | Welcome and Presidents update | Dr Claire Shannon, President, Royal College of Anaesthetists |
| 09.40-10.05 | Keynote lecture – Inclusivity and wellness | Dr Hanlie du Plessis, Consultant Anaesthetist, Oxford |
| 10.05-10.10 | Q&A | |
| Session 1: At the edge of Endurance | ||
| 10.10-10.30 | Cold water swimming | Dr Liz Thomas, Consultant in intensive care medicine and anaesthesia, Manchester |
| 10.30-10.50 | To be confirmed | |
| 10.50-11.10 | Marathon physiology – Lessons from sports/Marathon for clinicians | Dr Todd Leckie, Anaesthetics Doctoral Fellow, Sussex |
| 11.10-11.25 | Q&A | |
|
10.10-11.30 15.30-17.00 |
Airway workshops - In person only
|
We will be holding the same workshop, 3 times over the course of the day for delegates that are interested in brushing up their airway skills |
| 11.25-11.45 | REFRESHMENTS | |
| Session 2: Navigating New Clinical Guidelines | ||
| 11.45-12.10 | DAS Guidelines - intubation | Dr Imran Ahmad, Consultant Anaesthetist, London |
| 12.10-12.34 | Sip til Send national guidance for children | Dr Karen Bartholomew, President of the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of GB and Ireland |
| 12.35-12.45 | Q&A | |
| 12.45-13.45 | LUNCH AND NETWORKING | |
| Session 3: Military | ||
| 13.45-14.10 | To be confirmed | |
| 14.10-14.35 | To be confirmed | |
| 14.35-15.00 | To be confirmed | |
| 15.00-15.10 | Q&A | |
| 15.10-15.35 | REFRESHMENTS | |
| Session 4: Delivering Inclusive Care | ||
| 15.35-16.25 | Anaesthesia for gender affirmation |
Dr Paul Smith,Consultant Anaesthetist, Sussex Dr Luke Flower, Intensive Care Medicine registrar, London Dr Kamilla Kamaruddin, GP and Patient Representative Dr Laurence Hodierne, Consultant Anaesthetist |
| 16.25-16.50 | Obstetrics - "Low or no block - when good spinals go bad - how to predict and prevent?" | Dr Sarah Armstrong, Consultant Obstetric Anaesthetist, London |
| 16.50-17.00 | Q&A | |
| 17.00 | Closing remarks | |
| 17.00-18.00 | DRINKS RECEPTION & NETWORKING | |
| 08.30-09.00 | REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS | |
| 08.55-09.00 | Online platform opens – technical checks | |
| 09.00-09.05 | Opening remarks | |
| 09.05-09.30 | Keynote lecture: Ethical Challenges in Veterinary Anaesthesia | Professor Eddie Clutton, Veterinary Anaesthetist, Scotland |
| 09.30-09.35 | Q&A | |
| Session 5: Digital Medicine | ||
| 09.35-10.00 | To be confirmed | |
| 10.00-10.25 | Role of AI in Medical education | Professor Philip Newton, Cardiff |
| 10.25-10.50 | How to make a medical app | Ben Hardy (Benmed) |
| 09.35-11.10 |
BREAKOUT WORKSHOP - FOR ANAESTHETISTS IN TRAINING Registrar Interview preparation (This session is in person only) |
Dr Sian Jagger Cardiothoracic Anaesthetist, London and Dr Danny Seddon, Consultant Anaesthetist |
| 10.50-11.35 | REFRESHMENTS | |
| 11.10-11.35 | RCoA Coffee and chat session | RCoA Membership team |
| Session 6: Surgical challenges | ||
| 11.35-11.55 | Reducing sexual misconduct in the operating room | Miss Laura Hamilton, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Sussex |
| 11.55-12.15 | CPOC - Shared decision making | Prof Denny Levett, Director Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC), Southampton |
| 12.15-12.35 | NELA – No Lap | |
| 12.35-12.45 | Q&A | |
| 12.45-13.45 | LUNCH AND NETWORKING | |
| Session 7: Breakout sessions | ||
| 13.45-14.30 |
Breakouts. Some sessions are limited numbers. Booking to be made in advance. Attend first breakout session |
|
| Breakout 1 - SOBA - Living with obesity in the UK: challenging weight stigma and addressing health inequity through advocacy |
Dr Andrew Mckechnie, Consultant Anaesthetist, President, SOBA Dr Zoe Burton, Consultant Paediatric Anaesthetist, Sheffield Dr Eleanor Warwick, Anaesthetic Registrar, London |
|
| Breakout 2 - Association of Paediatrics – stabilising sick child | ||
| Breakout 3 - Vascular Society – case based, stabilising | Dr Vanessa Fludder, Consultant Anaesthetist, Chair, VASGBI | |
| Breakout 4 - SIVA – The Basics of EEG | Dr Mark Barley, Consultant Anaesthetist and Honorary Secretary, SIVA Dr Tom Blanks, Consultant Anaesthetist, Nottingham |
|
| Workshop 5 – FPM - Long-Acting Opioids in Acute Pain: Essential Tool or Obsolete Habit? | Dean Ganesan Baranidharan, Dean, Faculty of Pain Medicine Dr Dev Srivastava, Acute Pain Lead, FPM |
|
| 14.30-14.40 | Travel time to second workshop choice | |
| 14.40-15.25 | Attend second breakout session | |
| 15.25-15.50 | REFRESHMENTS | |
| Ethics and Law Lecture | (This lecture has been supported by the College’s ethics and law fund endowed by an anonymous benefactor) | |
| 15.55-16.20 | Consent - new guidelines | Dr Andrew Mcleod, Consultant Anaesthetist, London |
| 16.20-16.30 | Q&A | |
| Session 8: British Journal of Anaesthesia | ||
| 16.30-16.50 | To be confirmed | |
| 16.50-17.10 | To be confirmed | |
| 17.10-17.30 | To be confirmed | |
| 17.30-17.40 | Q&A | |
| 17.40 | Closing remarks | |
| 08.30-09.00 | REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS | |
| 08.55-09.00 | Online platform opens – technical checks | |
| 09.00-09.05 | Opening remarks | |
| 09.05-09.30 | Keynote lecture: Compassionate and inclusive leadership | Dr Simon Frazer, DoctorsTraining |
| 09.30-09.40 | Q&A | |
| Session 9: Lessons from.. | ||
| 09.40-10.10 | Local anaesthetic toxicity Gibson case | Dr Felicity Plaat, Consultant Anaesthetist, London |
| 10.10-10.40 | RSI in TIVA | Dr Mark Barley, Consultant Anaesthetist and Honorary Secretary, SIVA |
| 10.40-10.55 | Q&A | |
| 10.55-11.20 | REFRESHMENTS | |
| Session 10: RCoA Centre for Research & Improvement (CR&I) | ||
| 11.20-11.35 | CR&I Overview | Dr Andrew Smith, Consultant Anaesthetist, Lancaster |
| 11.35-11.50 | NCAPC (Periop Audit) | Dr Malcolm West, NCAPC Lead |
| 11.50-12.05 | FLO-ELA | Dr Mark Edwards, Consultant Anaesthetist, Southampton |
| 12.05-12.20 | VITAL | Dr Joyce Yeung, Associate Clinical Professor in Anaesthesia & Critical Care, Warwick |
| 12.20-12.40 | Q&A | |
| 12.50-13.25 | Poster competition oral presentations | |
| 13.25-14.45 | LUNCH AND NETWORKING | |
| Session 11: Acute and Critical Challenges | ||
| 14.25-14.50 | To be confirmed | |
| 14.50-15.15 | To be confirmed | |
| 15.15-15.40 | To be confirmed | |
| 15.40-15.55 | Q&A | |
| 15.55-16.00 | Closing remarks | |
Pricing
Super early bird discount
Book by 31 December to get 20% off!
Use code 'EARLY20' at checkout.
We are offering a fee for Low Middle Income Countries for online attendance, the cost will be £15 per day. Please email events@rcoa.ac.uk to check your eligibility.
Pricing Terms and Conditions
Payment must be made at the time of booking unless otherwise stated. The RCoA, FICM and FPM are unable to hold places on events without payment. Credit or debit card payments must be made online via our card payment handler Stripe, or by phone. We do not accept purchase orders or raise invoices for places on our events.
Discounts are available for some membership types at the rates stated below. You must be eligible for the discount both at the time of the booking and at the time of the event itself. We may ask for proof of your member status at any point. If you are unable to prove your entitlement to the discount we may charge you the full event rate, or invite you to update your membership status accordingly. In such a situation we may withhold access to the event until your updated payment clears, or your new membership status is confirmed.
We are offering a fee for Low Middle Income Countries for online attendance, the cost will be £15 per day. Please email events@rcoa.ac.uk to check your eligibility.
Poster & Video Competitions
We have two competitions running at Anaesthesia 2026.
1. Poster competition - If you have worked on a project which addresses the PQIP priorities, please submit a poster.
2. Video competition - Back for a second year, we are inviting video submissions for projects that showcase how your work fosters inclusivity and strengthens community within the field of anaesthesia.
- The closing date for all entries is 23.59 Monday 16 March 2026.
Please click below for further information and a submission form.
Poster competition information
Theme
You are invited to submit a poster for presentation at Anaesthesia 2026, on 12-14 May.
If you have worked on a project which addresses the PQIP priorities, please submit a poster for a chance to showcase your work and to win a £250 voucher of your choice.
A quality improvement or research project using PQIP data and/or that addresses one of PQIP’s top five priorities for 2025/26
- Perioperative Blood Management / Anaemia
- Diabetes Care
- Individualised risk assessment
- DrEaMing (Drinking, Eating, and Mobilising)
- Using Data for Improvement
Eligibility
The competition is open to all healthcare professionals or student healthcare professionals.
Prize
1st prize: £250 voucher
All accepted posters will be invited to present their poster at the Conference and will be encouraged to submit a short video presentation which will be uploaded on our streaming platform for delegates to view.
The top 5 shortlisted posters will be invited to present as an oral presentation.
All accepted posters will also be published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia Open Access Journal, please see information below for submitting your abstract to them.
How to enter
- Submit a digital copy of your poster as an attachment to events@rcoa.ac.uk along with a signed copy of the application form here
- Please follow the poster preparation guidelines on page 2; failure to follow the guidelines could result in disqualification from the competition.
- Please follow abstract preparation guidelines on page 3 for the submission to the BJA Open Access Journal.
What happens next?
- The closing date for entries will be 23.59 Monday 16 March 2026.
- A panel of RCoA judges will assess all submissions shortly after the closing date. Authors will be notified by Monday 13 April if they have been invited to display their poster at Anaesthesia 2026.
- All accepted posters will be invited to showcase their poster on the virtual platform.
- The selected winner will be given a slot to present their poster during the live programme.
- Authors selected to present their poster will need to book a place at the event in order to display their poster.
Video competition information
Have you been part of a project or initiative that promotes inclusive practice, builds community among healthcare teams, or improves equity and access for patients? Whether through clinical innovation, research, education, or team engagement, we want to hear your story.
- We are looking for submissions that highlight inclusive practices in anaesthesia, whether in patient care, staff collaboration, education, or outreach.
- Projects that bring people together, bridge gaps in access or communication, and promote diversity, equity, and belonging in clinical settings.
- Videos that clearly demonstrate positive and sustained impact, such as improved outcomes for underserved populations, initiatives supporting staff wellbeing, or enhanced collaboration across roles and disciplines.
- Videos should showcase how your initiative has contributed to building a more inclusive, connected, and supportive anaesthesia community.
- Videos must provide evidence of real-world improvements, be that in patient experience, team dynamics, educational access, or service delivery and should inspire others to adopt inclusive approaches that make anaesthesia care more equitable and compassionate.
Eligibility
The competition is open to all healthcare professionals or student healthcare professionals.
Prize
1st prize - £100 voucher of your choice
All accepted videos will be shared on the platform for Anaesthesia 2026 and at the venue.
Criteria
- Videos should be a maximum of 3 minutes long
- Be clear and to the point
- Use slides or images where relevant
Technical specifications
We do check all video abstracts for quality, to make sure they are watchable. Below are our technical specifications:
- Format: .mov, .mpg, or .mp4
- Maximum file size: 100 MB
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, square pixels, deinterlaced (landscape format is best)
How to enter
Submit your video to events@rcoa.ac.uk via WeTransfer or Dropbox along with a signed copy of the application form here.
What happens next?
The closing date for entries will be 23.59 Monday 16 March 2026.
A panel of RCoA judges will assess all submissions shortly after the closing date. Authors will be notified by Monday 13 April if they have been invited to display their video at Anaesthesia 2026.
Authors selected to present their video will need to book a place at the event in order to for it to be displayed.
Accommodation
Visit Brighton is the official accommodation booking provider for Anaesthesia 2026.
To view available accommodation and to book click here
They are delighted to offer specially negotiated accommodation rates for attendees. This website will be open for bookings until 4th May 2026 but we advise early booking in order to guarantee your preferred hotel.
Through this website you can book, modify or cancel your hotel reservations at any time.
If you have any queries about accommodation or require assistance with booking your room please contact the Accommodation Bureau via delegates@visitbrighton.com