Our response to COVID-19

Published: 17/03/2020

On Monday 16 March the Prime Minister announced that the UK was approaching the ‘fast growth’ phase of the COVID-19 infection curve. Government advice was therefore changed – all non-essential travel and non-essential contact with others is now to be avoided.

Considering that announcement and in order to protect the health of the College’s staff and visitors, Churchill House will close from 5pm on Tuesday 17 March. The building will remain closed until the Government’s advice changes.

All the College’s staff will therefore be working from home until the situation changes.

While the building may be closed, the Royal College of Anaesthetists emphatically remains open for business and the core focus of our work remains supporting our fellows and members through this incredibly challenging period.

With College and FICM events and examinations over the next few months having been postponed or cancelled, some of our staff teams have additional capacity to better support you, our frontline clinicians. The re-deployment of staff to assist those teams who are busy leading our response to COVID-19 is already underway.

These are challenging times and I’d urge you to keep yourself up-to-date with how your College is responding to the COVID-19 situation. See the various College various communications channels below – follow and read our communications to stay informed.

New joint ICM anaesthesia clinical guidance website

I also urge you to review the new joint website (www.icmanaesthesiacovid-19.org) your College has developed in collaboration with The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, the Intensive Care Society, and the Association of Anaesthetists to provide the UK intensive care and anaesthetic community with information, guidance and resources required to support their understanding of and management of COVID-19. New clinical guidance is being developed and uploaded here regularly – visit the website soon and often to ensure you stay up-to-date with changing clinical and national guidance.

Thank you

Finally and on a personal note from me, thank you. You are all working through a very challenging time. Take comfort in the knowledge that your College is supporting you and speaking on your behalf through the media, with Government and with senior health stakeholders. I trust you and your families are able to stay safe.

With thanks, and all my best wishes,
Jonathan Brüün, Chief Executive Officer
Royal College of Anaesthetists