Anaesthesia and COVID – One year on

On Tuesday 9 February, the College hosted a special event – Anaesthesia and COVID: One Year On. It was a chance for our guests to share stories of their unique experiences and contributions during the pandemic, reflect on how our working lives have changed and think critically about the future.

I was delighted to be joined by speakers Baroness Judith Jolly, NHS England’s National Medical Director, Professor Stephen Powis, and our CEO Jonathan Brüün. We also heard from our two Vice Presidents Dr Fiona Donald and Professor Will Harrop-Griffiths, as well as Council member Dr Helgi Johannsson. They each took the opportunity to address and reflect on common and important themes, including: their pride and admiration for our specialty, the impact on our wellbeing and welfare, the COVID-19 recovery and how anaesthetists in training have been impacted by the pandemic.

I am immensely proud to be an anaesthetist. With our work going beyond treating the very sickest patients in ICUs, we have shown ourselves to be leaders, teachers, innovators and organisers of care in the fight against this devastating disease. Baroness Jolly and Professor Powis each paid tribute to the important, selfless role our members play every day.

“The flexibility and innovation you have shown in finding new ways of collaborative working & supporting colleagues across the NHS is nothing short of inspirational.”

Baroness Jolly

The pandemic has undoubtedly been fertile ground for rapid change across the health system. In some cases, change has brought about important improvements and innovation. In a recent survey, members reported valuable improvements in their day-to-day working lives. 70 per cent of our members are telling us that working during the pandemic has increased their sense of teamworking and 35 per cent say they feel more valued in their roles.

However, the pandemic has also exacerbated long-standing issues. The survey respondents are saying they are exhausted and burnt out with some suffering from extreme stress. Alarmingly, 34 per cent of members reported poor or very poor mental health caused by the pandemic and 18 per cent considering leaving medicine altogether. The effect this may have on an already understaffed NHS should not be underestimated, with over a third (39 per cent) saying they are planning to cut back on hours once normal services resume.

Professor Powis spoke of the need to look relentlessly to the long-term future of healthcare, situating perioperative care at the heart of the Secretary of State’s commitments to ‘build back better’. He offered his support for the launch of the UK’s first ever perioperative care green paper consultation and commended the College in providing the groundwork for our future workforce. He highlighted our dedication to workforce planning, recruitment and retention and our work supporting and creating opportunities for our SAS doctors.

“The College has shown great leadership in supporting its workforce through this difficult and uncertain time. Anaesthetists and intensivists have played a huge role in helping us to significantly expand our surgical capacity of critical care beds.” 

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s National Medical Director.

There will be more difficult days ahead for anaesthetists at all levels as we recover from the effects of COVID-19. Our members must be given the freedom to rest and recuperate while balancing the need to ‘catch up’ on the clinical backlog caused by the many complexities of lockdown.

Now, more than ever, the College and its Faculties will engage with our members, policy makers and NHS leaders to plan and build a sustainable future for healthcare. The challenge we face in reaching the ‘other side’ of the pandemic is great. but the opportunities to transform the future of the specialty, of surgery and the NHS, on behalf of patients, are greater. We can do it. And we must do it.

Our Vice Presidents and Council members Fiona, Will and Helgi shared their personal experiences of working on the frontline during the pandemic. Each expressed their immense pride in their teams and colleagues who have risen to the challenge of caring for very unwell patients.

While all the speakers reflected on the challenges their hospital has faced, and continues to face, during the pandemic, they each recognised the considerable impact to anaesthetists in training. Professor Powis recognised the vital role anaesthetists have played in balancing the need to continue surgery and specialised services while supporting the COVID-19 effort. This effort has not come without a cost, it has significantly impacted on our wellbeing, particularly anaesthetists in training.

“Trainees are not junior, student doctors unburdened by responsibilities. They balance home and family life around this often exhausting, demanding & antisocial job.”

Dr Fiona Donald, Vice President, Royal College of Anaesthetists

Redeployment, navigating a new virtual exam offering, and balancing the demands of their job with studying have taken their toll on many. The College is here to support our anaesthetists in training and we recently published an update to address the ongoing concerns impacting the future leaders of our profession.

Professor Ravi Mahajan, President, Royal College of Anaesthetists