New RA-UK statement about FICB and non-physician practitioners
Fascia Iliaca blocks and non-physician practitioners
Thursday 23 January 2020
Early administration of a fascia iliaca block is recommended in patients with fractured neck of femur to reduce pain and use of opioid analgesia.1
Since the last joint statement from Regional Anaesthesia-UK (RA-UK) and the Association of Anaesthetists in 2013,2the use and availability of ultrasound for performance of the fascia iliaca block has increased.This has also led to the development of several ultrasound guided approaches to the fascia iliaca block which are more reliable than the traditional landmark approach.
The ultrasound guided infra-inguinal approach to the fascia iliaca block uses a similar needle insertion point to the landmark approach, distant from neurovascular structures. This approach allows visual confirmation of local anaesthetic spread in the correct anatomical plane, deep to the fascia iliaca.3
Read more: New RA-UK statement about FICB and non-physician practitioners
RAPM login problems-resolved
Dear RAUK members,
We have been informed by several users that the access to RAPM and the ESRA website is currently not working for 2020 RAUK members.
We are working with ESRA to resolve this asap, and will update after the weekend when we expect this to be fixed.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
The RAUK Board.
UPDATE 21/1/20
Joint RA-UK/ESRA members should now have received an activation email from ESRA, once responded to, your RAPM access will be restored. Thanks fo your patience. If you have not received your activation email, and it is not in your spam folder, please contact RA-UK support for help.
Last few places remaining at Belfast Cadaver Course 2020
There are a few remaining places left on the reknowned RA-UK Belfast Cadaver course on 3/4th April 2020.
This course features faculty including: Prof. Graeme Macleod (Dundee), Paul Kessler (Frankfurt) as well as RA-UK's own Alan Macfarlane and Lloyd Turbitt.
It counts towards one of the 3 workshops required by ESRA for EDRA Part II, including the cadaver workshop component.
Further details and booking here
Plan A Blocks
We are pleased to announce a new section of the website entitled Plan A blocks.
A recent editorial by Turbitt et al in Anaesthesia highlighted the inconsistencies in education and training of anaesthetists to perform basic level regional blocks, and hypothesised that the explosion of new techniques facilitated by ultrasound had compounded the problem by intimidating the normal practitioner. They drafted a list of seven Plan A blocks that cover the key areas of surgery/acute pain, and suggested that every anaesthetist should be proficient in these, leaving the expert RA practitioner to help provide blocks for more complex circumstances. The text of the editorial is provided.
At RA-UK we believe in the widespread adoption of regional anaesthetic techniques for all, and it is our mission to improve patient care by promoting excellence in RA practice and education.
We endorse the 7 Plan A blocks suggested, and have made available a new educational resource based on our popular Pocket Guide to Regional Anaesthesia - Second Edition. We will continue to update this section should new evidence arise to suggest other blocks fit the brief of “highest possible value to the greatest number of patients”. We hope that this can be used to teach and train the next generation of anaesthetists so that no-one comes out of training with an inability to provide this standard.
Regional experts will, of course, continue to provide the wide range of blocks as they see fit, and continue to research and push the boundaries of analgesia, and we fully support that endeavour.
Election to RA-UK Council 2020
Nominations are being sought for up to 2 positions on the RA-UK Council, plus one trainee representative.
The duration of the appointment is for up to 3 years. Council members will be expected to attend 2 full board meetings per annum, contribute to the general working of the society, and undertake specific roles and responsibilities as directed by the President. For further information or informal enquiries about the role please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Each nominee must be:
i. An Ordinary member of the Society in the year of the vote and have been a member for at least one year. ii. Proposed and seconded by two Ordinary members of the Society.
Please note that only one applicant from any hospital/institution will be considered. Nominations should be returned by post and email to the Honorary Secretary at the address below by 12:00 Mon 13th April 2020.
All RA-UK members will be invited to participate in an online ballot which will commence on Monday 20th April 2020. The election results will be announced at the RA-UK Annual General Meeting in Sheffield on Tuesday 21st May 2020.
Please complete the following Appication Form (and candidate statement), and submit via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. along with a digital photo for display on the RA-UK Website. A paper copy should also be posted to the address at the bottom of the application form.
Please note that all ordinary members of RA-UK are eligible to vote. This includes Full ESRA members from the UK who have not also joined RA-UK. If you believe you are eligible to vote, but aren't an RA-UK member, please register your intent to vote prior to April 1st 2020, along with your ESRA membership number to the webmaster email.
Pocket Guide to Regional Anaesthesia now available
We are delighted to announce that the shiny, brand new second edition of the RA-UK Pocket Guide to Regional Anaesthesia is now available to purchase from Amazon.
Those waiting on copies promised for membership should now have been received, (if you think you are due a book and havent received one, please contact the membership helpdesk on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). We have plenty of stock for bulk orders for courses etc.
Thanks for your patience, and we hope you like the new book!
A call for RA/ERAS protocols
Dear all,
At RA-UK 2019 I noticed that one of the most photographed slides of the conference was Dr Sandy Kopps' ERAS protocol for knees, which gave me a thought....
Why not host as many regional anaesthesia and enhanced recovery protocols as you'd like to share?
In time I hope this will become a valuable resource where people can see what others are doing, learn from and be inspired by different ways of doing things, as well as just plain not reinventing the wheel each time. We are interested in hearing from institutions around the world for their contributions.
If you have a protocol you're proud of, please send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we will upload to the site. Please send in word or pdf, but ensure it has your institutional affiliations.
RA-UK will provide these on the basis that they do not encompass societal recommendations of care, but rather a learning resource.
