The Trust's anaesthetics department has once again been awarded Anaesthesia Clinical Services Accreditation (ACSA) by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA).

ACSA is a nationally recognised quality improvement programme that assesses anaesthetic departments against rigorous standards, covering every aspect of the surgical patient pathway. The process includes an external review of the service, inspections, and interviews with staff.

This is the third consecutive accreditation for the department, following previous recognition in 2015 and 2020.

Dr Sombith Maitra, consultant anaesthetist and clinical lead for anaesthesia at Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am really proud that the department has been consistently recognised for the high standards of care we provide. Each accreditation involves the hard work of colleagues across the whole department, and is testament to the team’s dedication, expertise, and commitment to improving our services.”

Congratulations to Dr Rachel Alder (ACSA lead) and Dr Sombith Maitra (both pictured with Chief Medical Officer, Dr Bill Oldfield), Dr Jo Glynn (former clinical lead for anaesthesia) and Dr Carol Stableforth (former ACSA lead), and to everyone involved in this achievement.