Information for healthcare professionals

Information for healthcare professionals

We encourage hospitals and patients to download all our patient information leaflets directly from our website. However, if hospitals and healthcare professionals wish to use professionally printed copies, the communications team are happy to supply the necessary print-ready artwork for you to pass on to your printer. Please make separate arrangements with your own local printer for this purpose.

Unfortunately, the College is unable to send out copies of any of our leaflets.

Please note the following restrictions on using our artwork:

  1. No hospital, trust or external branding may be included on the front cover of any of our leaflets. You may include your contact and/or address details on the back if you wish.
  2. No amendments are to be made to the text, layout, colours, branding or formatting of the leaflets either by yourselves or the printers.

Yes but all logos, crests and branding must be removed and the text accompanied by the following acknowledgement and a reference to where the original leaflet can be found:

"This publication includes text taken from the Royal College of Anaesthetists’ (RCoA) leaflet ‘insert title here, followed by year’ but the RCoA has not reviewed this as a whole".

Patient leaflets and video resources
Read or view our patient-focused resources, including a series of leaflets to help you prepare for your anaesthetic. Each resource has detailed information for different types of operation or procedure.

Children, parents and carers
Information for children or their parents or carers to read. Children and young people helped to write our resources and they show you what to expect when you have an anaesthetic and what choices there may be.

Risk leaflets
Browse our leaflet series on the detail of specific risks associated with your anaesthetic, including side effects or complications that could occur.

Fitter Better Sooner

Animation in MP4 format
The Fitter Better Sooner animation is available to download here in MP4 format for playing on your internal TV screens in departments, clinics or waiting rooms. When the page loads, hover over the animation screen and click on the three white vertical dots on the right-hand side of the screen to download an MP4 file. If you require assistance or any further information, please email patientinformation@rcoa.ac.uk.

Animation in PowerPoint format
The Fitter Better Sooner animation is also available in PowerPoint format and can be requested by emailing patientinformation@rcoa.ac.uk. The leaflets that make up the Fitter Better Sooner toolkit are available here.

Flyers and posters
Download low-res print and professional print versions of our A5 flyer and A4 and A3 wall posters:

*Please do not include any hospital, trust or external branding on the leaflet or poster when printing. No amendments may be made to the text, layout, colours or formatting of the artwork.

Stickers and labels
Download 3 x 7 or 2 x 7 stickers/labels to use on patient notes:

Listen to the Chair of our Patient Information Group, Dr Hilary Swales, as she talks about our Fitter Better Sooner resources on a TopMed Talk podcast.

Listen to the podcast here

Mastocytosis and Anaesthesia

This leaflet is for patients with mastocytosis who are preparing to have an anaesthetic. It will also be useful to anaesthetists and other healthcare professionals who would like an update on safe anaesthesia practice for patients with mastocytosis.

Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM)

The Faculty of Pain Medicine has produced some patient information leaflets on medications and interventions commonly used to treat persistent pain.