The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the specialty of anaesthesia throughout the United Kingdom. It sets standards in anaesthesia, critical care, pain management, and for the training of anaesthetists, physicians' assistants (anaesthesia), and practising critical care physicians. It also holds examinations for anaesthetists in training, publishes the British Journal of Anaesthesia, and informs and educates the public about anaesthesia. Its headquarters is in Churchill House, London.

Role

The College’s activities are varied, but include the setting of standards of clinical care, establishing the standards for the training of anaesthetists and those practising critical care and acute and chronic pain management, setting and running examinations, and the continued medical education of all practising anaesthetists.

Publications

The College publishes guidance for its members and the GPAS standards. The College produces the Bulletin magazine a quarterly member magazine.

History

The Royal College of Anaesthetists was awarded its royal charter in 1992, making it one of the youngest Royal Colleges of medicine. Prior to this time, it had existed as the College of Anaesthetists since 1988, when it split from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Prior to 1988, it was known as the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which was formed in 1948. The roots of the college can be traced back to the

Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland The Association of Anaesthetists, in full the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI), is a professional association for anaesthetists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded by Dr Henry Featherstone in 193 ...

(AAGBI), which was set up in 1932 by Henry Featherstone and others, and continues today. The AAGBI derived from the Section of Anaesthetics of the Royal Society of Medicine because that was not allowed to engage in 'political' or 'trade union' activities nor as an examining body.

Coat of arms and motto

The Coat of arms of the College shares some symbols and features with that of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. It also incorporates coca leaves to symbolise local anaesthesia, and

opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum'', commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamen ...

heads to symbolise sleep (the poppy head is symbolic of the Greek God Hypnos). The figures on either side of the shield (known as "supporters") are two pioneers of anaesthesia,

John Snow John Snow (15 March 1813 – 16 June 1858) was an English physician and a leader in the development of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He is considered one of the founders of modern epidemiology, in part because of his work in tracing the so ...

and Joseph Thomas Clover. The College's motto is “''Divinum sedare dolorem''” (it is divine to alleviate pain).

Examinations

* Diploma of Anaesthesia ('DA' - now defunct) * Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (divided into the Primary FRCA and Final FRCA)

Organisation

The College is made up from an elected Council of practising anaesthetists who elect a President and two Vice-Presidents from among their members. Particular areas of work are considered by Committees who report to the Council. As of September 2021, the President is Dr Fiona Donald and the Vice-Presidents are Dr Russell Perkins and Dr Helgi Johannsson. The patron of the Royal College of Anaesthetists is The Princess Royal. There are six directorates: * The Chief Executive's Office * Clinical Quality and Research * Membership, Media and Development * Education, Training and Examinations * Finance and Resources * People and Operations

Deans and presidents

Deans and presidents of the Faculty, College and Royal College are listed below with terms of office in brackets.

Deans

* Archibald D. Marston CBE (1948 to 1952) *

Bernard Johnson Bernard Johnson (1 December 1868 – 16 May 1935) FRCO was an organist and composer based in Nottingham. He was appointed City Organist for Nottingham in 1910. Life Johnson was born in South Pickenham, Norfolk on 1 December 1868. He educated at ...

(1952 to 1955) *

Frankis T. Evans Frankis Tilney Evans FRCS (9 March 1900 – 26 August 1974) was the dean of the Royal College of Anaesthetists The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the specialty of anaesthesia throughout the Uni ...

(1955 to 1958) *

Sir Geoffrey Organe Sir Geoffrey Stephen William Organe Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, FRCS (25 December 1908 – 7 January 1989) was an English anaesthetist and the dean of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from 1958 to 1961.William W. Mushin William Woolf Mushin FRCS 1966, CBE 1971 (September 1910 – 22 January 1993) was Director and Professor of Anaesthetics Welsh National School of Medicine, University of Wales, 1947 to 1975. He was also the dean of the Royal College of Anaesth ...

(1961 to 1964) *

T. Cecil Gray Thomas Cecil Gray CBE KCSG (11 March 1913 – 5 January 2008) was a pioneering English anaesthetist. Early life Gray was born in Liverpool in 1913. The only son of Thomas and Ethel Gray of Thornton, he was educated at Ampleforth College in Y ...

CBE (1964 to 1967) *

W. Derek Wylie William Derek Wylie (24 October 1918 – 29 September 1998) was the dean of the Royal College of Anaesthetists The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the specialty of anaesthesia throughout the Unit ...

(1967 to 1970) *

Cyril F. Scurr Cyril Frederick Scurr (1920–2012) was dean of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. He is buried at St Andrew's church, Totteridge Totteridge is a residential area and former village in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a mixtu ...

CBE (1970 to 1973) *

Gordon Robson Sir James Gordon Robson (18 March 1921 – 23 February 2007) was a Scottish anaesthetist ‘ROBSON, Prof. Sir (James) Gordon’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, De ...

CBE (1973 to 1976) *

J. Edmund Riding John Edmund Riding (1924–2018) was a British anaesthetist who served as the dean of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from 1976–79. He held a consultant appointment to the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Riding was appointed a Commander of the O ...

CBE (1976 to 1979) *

John F. Nunn John Francis Nunn (7 November 1925 – 9 May 2022) was a British physician who was the dean of the Faculty of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Surgeons from 1979–82. Nunn was born in Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire, Wales, the son of Francis Nunn. He ...

(1979 to 1982) * Donald Campbell (1982 to 1985) * Aileen K Adams CBE (1985 to 1988)

Presidents

* Michael Rosen (1988 to 1991) *

Alastair Spence Alastair Andrew Spence (1936 – 2015) was president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the specialty of anaesthesia throughout the United Kingdom. It sets ...

CBE (1991 to 1994) *

Cedric Prys-Roberts Cedric Prys-Roberts is emeritus professor of anaesthesia at the University of Bristol. He was president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the specialty of ...

(1994 to 1997) *

Leo Strunin Leo Strunin was president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from 1997 to 2000. See also *Anesthesiology#History, History of anesthesiology References

Presidents of the Royal College of Anaesthetists British anaesthetists Living peo ...

(1997 to 2000) * Peter Hutton (2000 to 2003) * Sir Peter Simpson (2003 to 2006) * Judith Hulf CBE (2006 to 2009) *

Peter Nightingale Peter Nightingale may refer to: *Petrus de Dacia (mathematician) Petrus de Dacia, also called Philomena and Peder Nattergal (Peter Nightingale), was a Danish scholar who lived in the 13th century. He worked mainly in Paris and Italy, writing in ...

(2009 to 2012) *

J. P. van Besouw Jean-Pierre van Besouw (died 2017) was president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from 2012 to 2015. He was an anesthetist at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, fo ...

(2012 to 2015) *

Liam Brennan Liam Brennan is a consultant anaesthetist, deputy medical director of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and chair of the Centre for Perioperative Care. He was formerly president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from 2015 to ...

(2015-2018) *

Ravi Mahajan Ravi Prakash Mahajan of the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, is president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from September 2018. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (C ...

(2018-2021)n *

Fiona Donald Fiona is a feminine given name. The name is associated with the Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland (through the poetry of James Macpherson), but has also become popular in England.. It can be considered either a Latinised form of the Gae ...

(2021-Present)
Royal College Of Anaesthetists. Retrieved 16 March 2019.n

References

External links

* {{authority control Anesthesiology organizations Medical associations based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden Organizations established in 1948 Anaesthetists Anaesthetists 1948 establishments in the United Kingdom Presidents of the Royal College of Anaesthetists Deans of the Royal College of Anaesthetists