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:
- 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.
- 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".
Below you will find a list of all our resources organised by series.
- You and your anaesthetic
- Your spinal anaesthetic
- Anaesthetic choices for hip or knee replacement
- Epidural pain relief after surgery
- Local anaesthesia for your eye operation
- Your anaesthetic for major surgery
- Nerve blocks for surgery on the shoulder, arm or hand
- Your anaesthetic for heart surgery
- Your airway and breathing during anaesthesia
- Anaesthesia and your weight
- Your anaesthetic for vascular surgery
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:
- Feeling sick
- Sore throat
- Shivering
- Damage to teeth, lips and tongue
- Damage to the eye during general anaesthesia
- Postoperative chest infection
- Becoming confused after an operation
- Accidental awareness during general anaesthesia
- Serious allergy (anaphylaxis)
- Headache after a spinal or epidural injection
- Nerve damage associated with having an operation under general anaesthetic
- Nerve damage associated with a spinal or epidural injection
- Nerve damage associated with peripheral nerve block
- Equipment failure
- Death or brain damage
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.
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.
Mastocytosis is a very rare disorder affecting mast cells. In people who do not have mastocytosis, mast cells are triggered during allergy attacks. They release substances that cause the symptoms of allergy. These substances are stored in granules within the mast cells and are released into the body during an allergy attack. This is called ‘mast cell degranulation’. In people with mastocytosis, mast cells are triggered much more easily. This causes severe allergy-type symptoms, such as low blood pressure and swelling, in response to simple everyday events. For example, mast cells can be triggered by stress, exercise, drugs, food or alcohol, as well as by environmental factors such as excessive heat or cold. There are several different types of mastocytosis and it can affect adults and children.
Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM)
The Faculty of Pain Medicine has produced patient information leaflets on medications and interventions commonly used to treat persistent pain. The leaflets were created with the help of multi-professionals as well as patient representatives and are intended to be handed out to patients when they are prescribed these medications/undertake procedures. The leaflets can be used within a variety of clinical settings including Pain Management Services, GP practice, community pharmacies and physiotherapy clinics.
Leaflets are reviewed every three years and further information is available from contact@fpm.ac.uk