From the Association of Anaesthesia Associates.
The Association of Anaesthesia Associates (AAA) welcomes the publication of the LengReview and acknowledges the considerable effort undertaken to evaluate the current andfuture role of Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) within the anaesthetic workforce.
We strongly support the recommendation to establish a dedicated Faculty for AnaesthesiaAssociates within the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA). This initiative will provideessential professional structure, support, and oversight for AAs. We look forward to workingcollaboratively with the RCoA to shape a Faculty that ensures safe practice, consistentstandards, and clear opportunities for career development. We expect this to include a fullreview of the 2024 interim scope of practice to enable tangible role development in supportof patient care and service delivery.
We welcome the review’s recognition of future opportunities, including statutoryprescribing rights and clearly defined credentialing in advanced practice areas. Thesedevelopments would enable AAs to contribute more fully and safely to patient care underrobust clinical governance and supervision, as part of multidisciplinary anaesthesia teams.
We acknowledge the recommendation to adopt the title Physician Assistant in Anaesthesiaas an action to aid patients in distinguishing between roles in medical teams. However, wenote that this is not aligned to all of the medical associate professions and it is important toemphasise that Anaesthesia Associates are a distinct profession, with unique training, scopeof practice, and supervision requirements that differ substantially from PhysicianAssociates. We therefore recommend an open consultation with key stakeholders to ensurethat the chosen title is clearly understood by both patients and healthcare professionals.Members and employers should discuss this with their relevant working groups in order tomake appropriate changes within workplaces. The AAA will await a formal consultationuntil making the appropriate legal changes to its name and properties.
We are concerned about some of the language used in the review, which mayunintentionally discourage prospective applicants and undermine the sustainability of AAtraining programmes. This could significantly impact the future pipeline of AAs. We are alsodisappointed by the RCoA’s initial response regarding the pause in student recruitment,which introduces considerable risk to higher education institutions and to the futuredevelopment of the AA profession. A carefully managed and measured growth of the AAworkforce is essential—prioritising quality, clarity of role, and strong governance to ensuresafe and effective service delivery. While this may result in a slower pace of growth thanprojected in the Long-Term Workforce Plan 2023, it offers a more stable and sustainablefoundation for the future. We look forward to the forthcoming update on the NHS workforceplan later this year.
We remain committed to working constructively with regulators, the RCoA, and widerstakeholders to implement the review’s recommendations. Our shared goal is to build acompetent, stable, and well-integrated AA workforce that strengthens anaesthetic careacross the UK.
Scott Hepburn, President AAA
