WQ95008 (e) Tabled on 14/11/2024

Is the Cabinet Secretary satisfied with the role, oversight and prevalence of anaesthesia associates in the Welsh NHS?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Answered on 21/11/2024

From next month, the General Medical Council will become the regulator for anaesthesia associates (AAs) in the UK. Regulation will assure patients, colleagues and employers that AAs are safe to practice and can be held to account if serious concerns are raised. The powers to regulate AAs are reserved by the UK Government.

In 2019 HEIW developed a small-scale AA pilot in partnership with Hywel Dda and Swansea Bay university health boards. The pilot was delayed due to the pandemic and resumed in 2022

A small number of AAs have also been part of the Hywel Dda University Health Board workforce for approximately 15 years.