Publication of GPAS: The Good Department chapter

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is pleased to announce the publication of the Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthesia Services (GPAS): The Good Department chapter.

GPAS supports anaesthetists with responsibilities for service delivery and healthcare managers to design and deliver high quality anaesthetic services. All GPAS chapters are developed using a rigorous, evidence-based process, and are accredited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

GPAS chapters have previously focused on a particular aspect of clinical service delivery. However, experience gained through the delivery of the RCoA’s Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) scheme has identified a requirement in GPAS to describe what it is about a department of anaesthesia itself, beyond the different aspects of the clinical service delivery, that contribute to a successful department. These departments are cohesive and are able to provide a high-quality service across the entire clinical service. The Good Department chapter has been developed to address this requirement, describing current best practice for developing and managing a safe and high-quality anaesthesia service in terms of the non-clinical aspects of the service that underpin the clinical provision.

GPAS: The Good Department chapter is available here.