The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the specialty of

anaesthesia Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), a ...

throughout the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It sets standards in anaesthesia, critical care,

pain management Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professionals pr ...

, and for the training of

anaesthetists Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

, physicians' assistants (anaesthesia), and practising critical care physicians. It also holds examinations for anaesthetists in training, publishes the

British Journal of Anaesthesia The ''British Journal of Anaesthesia'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier on behalf of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (and its Faculty of Pain Medicine), the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland, and the Ho ...

, and informs and educates the public about anaesthesia. Its headquarters is in Churchill House,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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 The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...

. 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 (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 A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the College shares some symbols and features with that of the

. It also incorporates

coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, ...

leaves to symbolise

local anaesthesia Local anesthesia is any technique to induce the absence of sensation in a specific part of the body, generally for the aim of inducing local analgesia, that is, local insensitivity to pain, although other local senses may be affected as well. It ...

, and opium poppy 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 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

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 (1952 to 1955) * Frankis T. Evans (1955 to 1958) * Sir Geoffrey Organe (1958 to 1961) * William W. Mushin (1961 to 1964) * T. Cecil Gray CBE (1964 to 1967) * W. Derek Wylie (1967 to 1970) * Cyril F. Scurr CBE (1970 to 1973) * Gordon Robson CBE (1973 to 1976) * J. Edmund Riding CBE (1976 to 1979) * John F. Nunn (1979 to 1982) *

Donald Campbell Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

(1982 to 1985) * Aileen K Adams CBE (1985 to 1988)

Presidents

Michael Rosen Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. Early life Michael Wayne Ro ...

(1988 to 1991) * Alastair Spence CBE (1991 to 1994) * Cedric Prys-Roberts (1994 to 1997) * Leo Strunin (1997 to 2000) * Peter Hutton (2000 to 2003) * Sir Peter Simpson (2003 to 2006) *

Judith Hulf Judith Hulf is a British anaesthetist. She was the president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from 2006 to 2009. Career Hulf qualified from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London. She is a Consultant in Anaesthesia at University ...

CBE (2006 to 2009) * Peter Nightingale (2009 to 2012) * J. P. van Besouw (2012 to 2015) * Liam Brennan (2015-2018) * Ravi Mahajan (2018-2021)n * Fiona Donald (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 Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

1948 establishments in the United Kingdom Presidents of the Royal College of Anaesthetists Deans of the Royal College of Anaesthetists