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The ACSA scheme has the concept of continuous quality improvement at its heart, and departments who engage with the scheme have to demonstrate this in order to gain and retain accreditation.

One way we drive improvements is through our annual review of the ACSA standards, where we introduce new standards to focus departments’ energy on areas of growing importance to the specialty. New standards introduced in the 2022 edition cover responsible opioid stewardship, environmental sustainability, leadership within departments, and protecting time for clinical-governance activities. Through these new standards we will also be able to collect examples of good practice, which we then share with other departments via the ACSA portal.

As the season of spring gently unfolds while I write this here in London, there is a sense of renewed fervour for times to come. I have the pleasure of celebrating two ‘New Years’ annually, a uniqueness which I have always appreciated for one reason – however the Gregorian new year starts, I have another to bring optimism, since once again find myself looking ahead to Tamil New Year on 14 April – Puthandu Vazthukal to all those celebrating this.

New chapters of professional life transitioning from one season to another is the subject of an article by Dr Lauren Elliott and Dr Nipun Agarwal, who eloquently detail the range of experiences that come towards the end of training – the consideration of location, colleagues and job plans blends excitement with an understandable anxiety. For those wanting to understand more about navigating this juncture in a career in anaesthesia, I wholeheartedly recommend the College’s Preparing for CCT and beyond podcast series as a supplement to the piece in this edition of the Bulletin.