It is now 4 weeks since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. As we enter what really feels like uncharted territory, the OAA has continued working closely with the RCoA, RCOG, AoA, FICM and ICS to support colleagues and provide as much information as we can. A range of information about COVID-19 can be accessed via the
joint website.
The OAA have recently updated their
guidance on PPE for obstetric anaesthetists. We have been gathering information about anaesthetic staffing arrangements for labour wards with a survey to lead obstetric anaesthetists. We will disseminate the results very soon and repeat the survey at regular (but not too frequent) intervals. We know you are all incredibly busy, but we would be really really grateful if you would supply us with this information if you haven’t already. Initial enquiries have already revealed several themes such as the provision of a shadow rota to cover staff absence, 24-hour presence of senior staff and in some cases dividing the workforce on a weekly basis into those dealing with infected and non-infected cases. We have heard instances where staff have been diverted from obstetrics. This is neither
government policy, nor ethically sound, and we fully support the maintenance of anaesthetic services to maternity.
Finally we have created a hub on the website for people to share obstetric COVID-19 resources including, guidelines, SOPs etc. The hub can be found
here. If you have something you would like to share with colleagues please would you send to
secretariat@oaa-anaes.ac.uk.
We wish you, your colleagues and families well during this challenging period.
The OAA Executive Committee