The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) is the professional body responsible for the speciality in the UK. We have a membership of over 24,000 Fellows and Members and ensure the quality of patient care by safeguarding standards in the three specialties of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.

The RCoA also leads the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC), a cross-organisational, multidisciplinary initiative to transform the surgical pathway from the moment surgery is contemplated through to full recovery.

We are searching for an experienced policy professional to join us as a Policy Officer to deliver impact for our membership, patients, and the public across a range of strategic health policy goals.The role sits in the Policy and Public Affairs Team and reports to the Head of Policy and Public Affairs. It will be supported, where necessary, by the Policy and Public Affairs Assistant.

In this role, you will play a critical role in the policy and influencing work of the RCoA and CPOC. You will collate and conduct research, forge it into credible policy proposals, and help influence Government and other stakeholders to implement it.

Internally, you may work alongside other teams in the organisation. Externally, you will liaise with a wide range of stakeholders, such as other Royal Colleges, national and local NHS bodies, MPs, and Ministers and Civil Servants in relevant Government departments.

Currently, we have two key areas of focus. Firstly, a workforce project, ‘Anaesthesia Fit for the Future’. This sets out to show the Government how many anaesthetists the NHS needs, what the makeup of ‘team anaesthesia’ looks like, and what support the team needs to deliver the best possible patient care. Secondly, work around ‘perioperative care’ – which aims to optimise the surgical pathway to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and most importantly improve patient outcomes. You will take on key areas of responsibilities in these projects, and future projects.