Global Anaesthesia Series: Episode 4, Capacity Building in Surgical Care on Mercy Ships

Dr Ramai Santhirapala, Consultant Anaesthetist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and RCoA Council member is joined by Dr Laura Askins, Senior specialist Dietician, and Dr Roopa McCrossan, Consultant Anaesthetist at James Cook University Hospital. In this episode, we discuss civility and incivility and their effects on workplace cultures and behaviour. Ramai, Laura and Roopa discuss what happens when we encounter incivility at work, and how we can make our working environments better, safer, and happier - just by being courteous and kind. This podcast will touch on sensitive issues including bullying and suicide. If you need help, these pages list the support available to you: Support for individuals | The Royal College of Anaesthetists Wellbeing support | Association of Anaesthetists

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air Dr Sekina Bakare hosts a roundtable discussion with Dr Desire Onwochei, Dr Sethina Watson and Dr Daniel Olaiya on the work being done to grow the numbers of Black Anaesthetists, experiences within practice and ongoing challenges. They discuss promoting equity within anaesthetics, managing microaggressions, and anti-racist best practices following the 'To Grow and Thrive' session at February Updates 2024. This podcast contains discussion of personal and wider experiences of racism.

In Episode 5 of the Heritage & Archives Series Sarah Ramsay talks to Simon Chadwick about how our perception of observation has changed over several generations of anaesthetists and how a trip to an art gallery can enhance our skills. The episode is chaired by Dr Maria Rollin, Chair of the Heritage and Archives Committee  and has been recorded to complement an article Dr Chadwick has written for the Spring 2024 Bulletin.  

In this Episode of Anaesthesia on Air, Dr Steffan Glaze, Dinwoodie Simulation Fellow at the Royal College of Anaesthetists, hosts a discussion about the new Standards for Simulation-based Practice from the Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH) with two of the authors, Professor Cristina Diaz-Navarro and Professor Makani Purva, alongside Professor Mary Mushambi, University Lead for Simulation at the University of Leicester. They share the creation process and aims of the new standards, changes from the previous iteration and potential applications within both practice and teaching. 

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air Dr Anton Krige, RCoA Clinical Lead for ME/CFS, talks with Dr Charles Shepherd from the ME Association and Helen Baxter, a patient advocate for ME patients, about the College's latest patient information project ME/CFS and anaesthesia. They explore this poorly understood medical condition and the strategies that anaesthetists will find useful in managing these patients in the perioperative period. 

RCoA Councilmember Dr Ramai Santhirapala meets Drs Kate Stannard and Helen Burdett to discuss the Women in Medicine International Network (WIMIN). WIMIN was founded to address, as they put it, the 'huge gap in the needs of women in medicine' with a conference programme and network. Helen and Kate talk about the issues they are trying to tackle, the conference programme they've created, speakers at their upcoming September 2024 event, and how they try to inspire inclusion through this work. This podcast is released on International Women's Day 2024, the theme of which is #InspireInclusion. Links: 2024 International Women's Day: 'Inspire inclusion' WIMIN September 2024 conference [Recorded 1 March 2024]

In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air Jenny Westaway, Chair of Patient Voices at RCoA, hosts a fascinating discussion with Dr Jane Boissiere, Dr Samantha Black, and Dr Paul Slater about Hypnotherapy in Anaesthesia. They discuss misunderstanding and misinformation around Clinical Hypnosis and the benefits of its use to help patient anxiety. 

In Part 2 of the podcast Peter and Jag talk about the emerging threats from Iraq and Afghanistan which demanded a completely different approach and considerable clinical agility and innovation. Peter was the first UK Defence Professor of Anaesthesia and Critical Care (2008-16) and the conversation turns to the support he received from the RCoA, the Association of Anaesthetists and the Deaneries. Because of the nature of warfare the experience of the anaesthetists involved recorded here may sometimes be disturbing. The episode is chaired by Dr Anna Maria Rollin, Chair of the RCoA Heritage & Archives Committee

In this episode retired Colonel Soundararajan ‘Jag’ Jagdish talks to Professor Peter Mahoney about the early development of military anaesthesia, their lived experiences as deployed military personnel and what went on behind the scenes. The episode is chaired by Dr Anna Maria Rollin, Chair of the RCoA Heritage and Archives Committee

In this final part of our Global Anaesthesia podcast miniseries, Jan and Fi have the privilege to speak with Dr Michelle White who is a long-term volunteer for Mercy Ships. Michelle talks about her experience working in capacity Building on the ship and the delivery of surgical services in surgical care.