RCoA publication of the GPAS Perioperative Care chapter and GPAS annual chapter updates

The Royal College of Anaesthetists is pleased to announce the publication of Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthesia Services (GPAS) 2021. This includes a new chapter on services for the Perioperative Care of Elective and Urgent Care Patients. All the GPAS chapters are available here.

Chapter 2: Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthesia Services for the Perioperative Care of Elective and Urgent Care Patients replaces the following chapters:

• Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthesia Services for Preoperative Assessment and Preparation
• Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthesia Services for Intraoperative Care
• Guidelines for the Provision of Postoperative Care.

All GPAS chapters have been developed using our NICE accredited development process. NICE accreditation gives additional credibility to GPAS, providing independent assurance that the guidelines are robust and evidence based.

First published in 1994, GPAS is designed for anaesthetists with managerial responsibilities to set recommendations which inform how anaesthetic departments are run.  Not only does GPAS shape the standards used by the Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) scheme, but national regulators also recognise them.