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Local protocols should determine the grade, experience and competency based training of non-anaesthetist healthcare professionals undertaking preoperative assessments.⁴⁹ In addition , all members of the team including administrative, managerial and clinical staff who interact with the patient preoperatively should have skills in motivational interviewing and preoperative optimisation.^50,51 

There must be the ability to provide the patient with an appropriate chaperone, as per General Medical Council (GMC) guidance on intimate examinations and chaperones.⁴⁹ When examining a patient, anaesthetists must be sensitive to what the patient may consider as intimate. This could include any examination where it is necessary to touch or even be close to the patient.

Paediatric services will have different staffing requirements, see GPAS chapter 10: Guidelines for the Provision of Paediatric Services for detailed recommendations.

Patients who are older and/or frail patients will have different staffing requirements; see section 12 for detailed recommendations.

Appropriate staffing levels and skill mix should be provided in all units: multispecialty general hospitals, isolated units and large single-specialty centres delivering ophthalmic anaesthesia. For most operating sessions this should include surgeon, anaesthetist, two theatre-trained scrub practitioners, one trained nurse or operating department practitioner to assist with local anaesthesia/patient monitoring and one theatre support worker/runner.^2,3 

Dedicated, skilled assistance for the anaesthetist should be available in every situation where anaesthesia or sedation is employed.^4,5

Each department or facility that provides ophthalmic anaesthesia services should have a clinical lead (see Glossary) with nominated responsibility for ophthalmic anaesthesia.²

There should be an identified group of senior anaesthetists who manage and deliver a comprehensive ophthalmic anaesthesia service, including the use of orbital regional anaesthetic techniques.²

Many ophthalmic patients have significant comorbidities that may require optimisation and coordination prior to surgery. There should be a lead anaesthetist (with an appropriate number of programmed activities in their job plan and appropriate secretarial support) for preoperative assessment, who works closely with an appropriately trained preoperative assessment team.^6,7