Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Training and Staffing in the National Health Service.

Background: Considerable importance is attached to the process of training, appointing and retaining highly specialized pediatric anesthetists, such as those with a congenital heart disease practice.

Aims: For the 10-year period from April 2012 to March 2022, we wished to establish changes in the absolute number of consultant pediatric cardiac anesthetic posts in NHS Level 1 Centres, turnover in such posts, and what training appointees had received.

Methods: An email survey was sent to the Centre Representative from the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Network in each of the eleven NHS Level 1 Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Centre. Further follow up was completed in order to confirm accuracy of responses. We defined a pediatric cardiac anesthetist as a consultant with a clinical practice including provision of anesthetic management for children undergoing cardiac surgery incorporating the use of cardiopulmonary bypass.

Results: The response rate to our survey was 100%. Over the study period the number of consultants increased from 69 to 81, though three posts were unfilled as at March 2022. There were 55 departures and 65 appointees. Five consultants moved between NHS Units. 52 consultants received formal fellowship training and 13 switched into pediatric cardiac anesthesia from an existing general pediatric anesthetic post, with a period of supplementary training within their institution. Appointees reported extensive additional training variably including fellowships in general pediatric anesthesia, adult cardiac anesthesia and pediatric intensive care, both within and outside the United Kingdom.

Conclusions: There has been both an expansion in the number of posts, as well as considerable turnover in consultant posts in the last 10 years. Training standards which support and guide individuals as they develop a practice in this highly specialized field should reflect different routes into the speciality and could be established with the support and advice of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Network.