What are the standards for the emergency anaesthetic services?

Anaesthetists provide services throughout acute hospitals in areas such as the delivery floor and the intensive therapy unit as well as working in their traditional role in the operating theatre. Consensus standards of the number of staff needed to provide a satisfactory level of acute anaesthetic services, their qualifications and experience and the resources they require have been produced by a number of organizations. It is probable that many small and medium-sized district general hospitals will be unable to meet these standards without changes to traditional UK staffing structures.