Physicians’ assistants in anaesthesia are a group of healthcare professionals that have grown steadily in number since they were first introduced in 2003. Recently there has been increasing interest in training and recruiting PA(A)s as one means of meeting the ever growing demand for anaesthetic services.

The following document Planning the introduction and training for Physicians’ Assistants (Anaesthesia) aims to help individual departments of anaesthesia decide whether or not PA(A)s might usefully augment their anaesthetic services. The guidance is structured around three stages: Planning, Preparation and Implementation and is based on over ten years of accumulated experience.

We hope that you find this guide, which has been written by representatives of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland and the Association of Physicians’ Assistants (Anaesthesia), a useful resource when seeking safe and sustainable solutions to the current anaesthetic workforce challenge.

Dr Liam Brennan
President, The Royal College of Anaesthetists

Dr Andrew Hartle
President, Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland

Mr Irfan Mehmood
Chairman, Association of Physicians’ Assistants (Anaesthesia)