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, branding and images 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".

Join our preassessment leads network to receive updates via email specifically on the College's work on patient information. By being part of this network, you will receive a quarterly newsletter with information about:

• when we produce new resources, or update existing resources
• new translations
• opportunities to get involved in our patient information work (eg via surveys and events)

If you wish to sign up to our network, please contact us on patientinformation@rcoa.ac.uk. 

See our list of authors and contributors who have been involved in the development and review of our patient information resources.

We have created posters with QR codes that can be used to easily direct patients to the patient information resources on our website:

• A4 poster for all our patient information resources
• A4 poster for our patient information resources for children
• A4 poster for Dennis has an anaesthetic
• A3 poster for Dennis has an anaesthetic
• A4 poster providing support for anxious patients
• A4 poster for Preparing for surgery: Fitter Better Sooner

• Dennis has an anaesthetic
• Common events and risks in anaesthesia (children and young people risks)
• Rees Bear has an anaesthetic
• General anaesthesia: a guide for young people
• Your child's general anaesthetic

• Having an operation with anaesthesia: an Easy Read booklet
• My Daycase Operation: a resource for children with learning difficulty
• Translations
• British Sign Language (BSL)

• Suxamethonium Apnoea
• Malignant Hyperthermia
• ME/CFS and Anaesthesia

• Anaesthesia explained
• You and your anaesthetic
• Your spinal anaesthetic
• Anaesthetic choices for hip or knee replacement
• Epidural anaesthesia during and after surgery
• Local anaesthesia for your eye operation
• Your anaesthetic for major surgery
• Peripheral nerve blocks
• Your anaesthetic for heart surgery
• Sedation explained
• Caring for someone recovering from a general anaesthetic or sedation
• Anaesthesia and your weight
• Your anaesthetic for vascular surgery
• Your airway and breathing during anaesthesia

• Fitter Better Sooner – leaflet
• Fitter Better Sooner – animation
• Preparing for cataract surgery
• Preparing for a cystoscopy
• Preparing for a hernia repair
• Preparing for a hysteroscopy
• Preparing for a knee arthroscopy
• Preparing for a knee replacement operation

Animation in MP4 format
The Fitter Better Sooner animation is available to download here in MP4 format via Vimeo for playing on your internal TV screens in departments, clinics or waiting rooms. Please use the download button underneath the video but 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:

• A5 flyer (professional print)*
• A5 flyer (low-res/print your own)*
• A4 wall poster (professional print)*
• A4 wall poster (low-res/print your own)*
• A3 wall poster (professional print)*
• A3 wall poster (low-res/print your own)*

*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:

• 3 x 7 stickers (colour)
• 3 x 7 stickers (black and white)
• 2 x 7 stickers (colour)
• 2 x 7 stickers (black and white)

• Risks associated with general anaesthesia (adult risks)
• Risks associated with regional anaesthesia (adult risks)
• Feeling sick
• Sore throat
• Shivering
• Damage to teeth, lips and tongue
• Injuries to the eye
• Chest infection
• Becoming confused after a general anaesthetic (delirium)
• Waking up during a general anaesthetic (accidental awareness)
• Anaphylaxis (serious allergy)
• Headache after a spinal or epidural anaesthetic
• Nerve damage after a general anaesthetic
• Nerve damage after a spinal or epidural anaesthetic
• Nerve damage after a peripheral nerve block
• Death and serious harm