AAs should always work within an anaesthesia team led by a consultant or other autonomously practising anaesthetist who has overall responsibility for the anaesthesia care provided for the patient and whose name should be recorded in the individual patient’s medical notes.119
Anaesthetists providing supervision to other anaesthetists or AA’s should be easily contactable, able to provide the level of supervision required by individual supervisees and free to attend in an appropriate timeframe.119
Clinical governance of AAs should follow the same principles as that applied to medically qualified staff. This should include training that is appropriately focused and resourced, supervision and support in keeping with practitioners’ needs and practice responsibilities, and practice centred audit and review processes.
Staff assigned to the role of anaesthetic assistant should not have any other duties that would prevent them from providing dedicated assistance to the anaesthetist during anaesthesia.41
The following anaesthetic equipment is required for the safe delivery of anaesthesia, and should be immediately available at all sites where patients receive anaesthetic intervention:
Anaesthetic machines should never be able to supply a hypoxic gas mixture.125
The recommended standards of monitoring, by instrument or otherwise, should be met for every patient.123 All monitors should be fitted with audible alarms, with preset but adjustable limits.123,126 The following equipment should be available at all sites where anaesthesia is administered:123
All anaesthetic equipment should be checked prior to use in accordance with the Association of Anaesthetists’ published guidelines.127 Anaesthetic machine checks should be recorded in a log and on each patient’s anaesthetic chart.
