Anaesthetics

Our anaesthetics team works closely with our other clinical services. We:

get you ready for surgery, give sleep and pain relief and supervise your care in the recovery ward or critical care unit after your operation.

are involved in the care, resuscitation and transfer of critically ill patients within the hospital and to other centres.

run a clinic for high-risk patients who are thinking about surgery.

work closely with the pain service. We give acute pain relief within the hospital and manage chronic pain relief for palliative care, cancer services and longstanding conditions.

run a 24-hour maternity service to give epidural pain relief for labour and various anaesthetic options for Caesarean births.

Types of anaesthesia

General anaesthesia: where you are given medication to put you into a state of controlled unconsciousness. This is so that you are unaware of surgery and don’t move or feel pain during your operation.

Regional (or local) anaesthesia: where you are given local anaesthetic, usually by injection, around the nerves of the area of your body needing pain relief or being operated on. This numbs the area so you can be awake during your operation or medical procedure.

Sedation: where you are given medication to relax you a little or make you sleep through most of your medical procedure.

Obstetric pain relief and anaesthesia: where you are given pain relief for labour or for Caesarean section surgery.

For more information generally on anaesthetics please see the wide range of resources available from the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

Preparing for your appointment

Please remember to:

stick to recommended fasting times
get ready to answer questions about your current and past medical and surgical history
take your normal prescribed medications as usual, except for those you have been specifically asked to avoid allowing surgery to go ahead.