Anaesthesia

The department offices are situated on the second floor of the hospital on the corridor leading to the Intensive Care Unit.

The department of anaesthesia consists of:

• Nine anaesthetists, each of whom may be in post-graduate training or a career grade specialty doctor. Some of these doctors rotate to other training posts in the region.
• seven trainee anaesthetists
  training in either CT1/2 Anaesthesia or 1/2 ACCS. They rotate to other hospitals for training including UBHT and NBT
• A part time secretary, Rita Elswood, is available Monday to Friday between 8.30am & 2pm
• A clinical specialist nurse, Maxine Curtis supervises the management of acute pain problems.

Preoperative Assessment Clinic (POAC)

This clinic is currently situated on the second floor and is adjacent to the main operating theatres. The clinic is nurse led by Sr. Jane Middle and there are 2 consultant POAC sessions each month.

Operating theatres

There are six fully equipped operating theatres at Weston General Hospital, four in the main theatre suite and a further two in the day case unit.

The role of the anaesthetist

Anaesthetists are doctors whose clinical skills are used throughout the hospital and whose skills and attitudes have a fundamental impact on the ability of a hospital to fulfil its contracts. Anaesthetists have had specialist training in anaesthesia, in the treatment of pain, in the care of very ill patients (intensive care) and in emergency care (resuscitation). Anaesthetists form the largest specialist consultant group within the NHS. A report by the Audit Commission showed that anaesthetists are involved in the care of two out of three acute hospital patients.

Approximately 75% of the clinical work of the anaesthetist is within the operating theatre where there is a dedicated team of:

• operating department staff with training in anaesthesia, who prepare and maintain equipment, help the anaesthetist and take part in patient care
• trained staff in the recovery room who care for patients after they have had surgery until they are ready to go back to the ward
• other healthcare staff in training.

Approximately 25% of the clinical work of the anaesthetist is spent with patients for preoperative assessment / postoperative care and looking after those patients who are critically ill, both within the intensive care unit and also on the wards and in A&E.

Information

Information leaflets are available covering the subjects of:

• Anaesthesia and having an anaesthetic
• Your spinal anaesthetic
• Anaesthesia for hip and knee replacement
• Epidural anaesthesia
• Patient Controlled Analgesia
• Pain Relief
• The Preoperative Assessment Clinic