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Wherever possible, anaesthesia in remote ophthalmic surgical sites should be delivered by appropriately experienced consultant anaesthetists. Where a trainee or non-consultant grade is required to provide anaesthetic services at a remote site, the recommendations of the Royal College of Anaesthetists should be followed.¹⁰

The anaesthetist should be with the patient at all times while the patient is under anaesthesia. In hospitals employing AAs, this responsibility may be delegated to a AAs, supervised by a consultant anaesthetist in accordance with the scope of practice for AAs.^3,4

Anaesthetists in an IPS post need to demonstrate an ongoing significant interest in pain management by involvement in continuing professional development (CPD), appraisal and job planning. The minimum training requirement for new appointments of IPS anaesthetists is stage 3 special interest area in acute inpatient pain. 

An appropriately trained and experienced anaesthetist should be present throughout the conduct of anaesthesia for all procedures, including those procedures requiring intravenous sedation (where provision of this service has been agreed by the anaesthetic department). In exceptional circumstances, for example, where urgent treatment for another patient requires the anaesthetist to leave the patient, they should delegate responsibility to another appropriate...