ACSA accreditation for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been accredited under the prestigious Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) scheme demonstrating their commitment to patient safety and excellence of care.  

ACSA is the RCoA’s peer-reviewed scheme that promotes quality improvement and the highest standards of anaesthetic service. To receive accreditation, departments are expected to demonstrate high standards in areas such as patient experience, patient safety and clinical leadership. 

Dr Lara Wijayasiri, ACSA Lead Clinical Reviewer, said:

"Congratulations to the anaesthetic department at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on achieving ACSA accreditation. The department came across as a cohesive, hardworking team with a strong commitment to patient safety, staff wellbeing, and environmental sustainability. We were particularly impressed by their leadership in sustainable anaesthesia, including the removal of desflurane, nitrous oxide initiatives, and improved recycling practices. The collaborative work with the care of the elderly team to support frail patients and the thoughtful design of the Chedworth Day Surgery Unit exemplify their focus on delivering safe, efficient, and patient-centred care. This accreditation is well deserved and reflects the dedication of the whole team.”

Dr Sade Okutubo, Clinical Reviewer, said: 

“The cohesive and responsive attitude of the entire department, and the level of engagement from all was impressive.”

Dr Sunny Karadia, Dr Clare Newton-Dunn and Dr Nishi Patel, ACSA Leads, said:

“Gloucestershire Hospitals are proud to have achieved ACSA accreditation in March 2025 following a process commencing in 2019 but interrupted by the COVID pandemic. Adding to the logistical challenge was the fact that we required a review of 5 hospital sites which are overseen by 2 separate Trust Boards. The visit by the ACSA review panel demonstrated a number of recommendations that needed to be met which helped us drive through changes with which we had previously struggled. The panel were helpful and constructive and we found the support afforded to us by the College extremely helpful.

The ACSA accreditation process was a positive catalyst for improving our way of working and we are incredibly proud of the changes we have introduced because of it. These include getting more renumeration for various speciality lead roles, a flexible starred consultant on the theatre floor, monthly QI meetings and depth of anaesthesia monitoring for every theatre.

We were gratified that our sustainability practices, new day case environments and teaching practices were deemed areas of particularly good standard. Overall, the ACSA process was fulfilling, informative, challenging, on occasion daunting but overall, extremely satisfying to have undertaken within our team, specialty, division and Trusts. We were also grateful for the significant support afforded to us by our colleagues and senior management teams. It is reassuring for us to know that our practices, processes, and guidelines now align with other ACSA accredited centres.”

Dr Paul Southall, Royal College of Anaesthetists Council Member, said:  

“I would like to offer my personal congratulations to the entire anaesthetic department on achieving ACSA accreditation. It is very impressive to see the commitment and approach of the whole department to sustaining their standards. They have demonstrated their ability and passion for providing the best possible care for their patients. 

“Patient safety is at the heart of what we do as a Medical Royal College. The quality improvement demonstrated during the accreditation process has helped the department manage the immense tasks presented to them by COVID-19 and the resumption of normal services.    

“It was impressive to see the innovative practices taking place at the hospital, and the excellent commitment from all staff during the process. As well as meeting the standards, the department demonstrated many areas of excellent advanced practice that have now been highlighted for sharing through the ACSA network.”