Working parties
The Association’s working parties perform some of our most important patient safety work by producing new clinical guidelines and updating existing ones.
Working parties are established by the board and each is usually chaired by a board member. They bring together groups of experts on specific clinical or other topics such as patient safety, working conditions, welfare, and contractual issues. Most working parties include a lay member as well as clinical and scientific experts.
Each year, the Association publishes around six new guidelines and at any one time there are over 20 active working parties at work.
All guidelines developed or reviewed by a working party will go out for general consultation before final approval by the board and publication on our website.
Most guidelines are published in the journal Anaesthesia and are available on the member app.
All published guidelines are available online in our guidelines section.
New guideline or consensus statement topics
Is there a gap in available guidance? Do you have a suggestion for a new guideline or consensus statement? Why not submit a working party proposal form for consideration by the Association board?
We welcome proposals for new topics of guidance relevant to anaesthesia, through the completion of a Working Party proposal form. All working party proposals are evaluated by the Honorary Secretary ahead of discussion by the Guidelines and Working Parties Committee. All proposals are ultimately approved by the Board of Trustees.
Our working parties can be led by the proposal submitter, board members or subject matter experts and will be fully supported by Association board members, Anaesthesia editors and Association staff.
Find out more about the working party process by reading our Working Party handbook.
For more information, please contact us.