SIA – Obstetrics NBT
Southmead is a busy maternity unit, and is the tertiary centre for prematurity and abnormally invasive placentas. Various opportunities for a SIA placement include:
Clinics & Meetings
- Attending and leading high risk obstetric anaesthetic clinics to formulate management plans
- Attending MDT meetings to plan patient care
- Attending Obstetric management meetings
- Attendance at joint obstetric specialist clinics eg cardiac/haematology
Anaesthetic
- Antenatal anaesthetic clinic (daily around 2pm via phone, occasionally in person) – from July 2025 there will be a weekly anaesthetic clinic on a Wednesday am, in antenatal clinic.
- Postnatal complex follow ups (see database and click on complex follow ups) usually via phone call.
Governance Meetings – contact Ben.Ballisat@nbt.nhs.uk
- PPH forum – Once a month, variable date/time
- CDS forum – once a month, variable date/time
Maternal Medicine
- Mat Med wards round on Weds morning commence in CDS at 9am.
Mat Med Clinic with Fran Neuberger (maternal physician) and Christy Burden (obstetrician) on Weds pm in antenatal clinic. Email Fran or Christy to attend. - Monthly NBT Mat Med MDT on Teams, contact Helen.Johnston@nbt.nhs.uk for dates and invite.
- Southwest Mat Med Network (SWMMN) meetings & education events – contact Helen.Johnston@nbt.nhs.uk for more information.
- Website contains information on MDTs (general med, Haematology, Cardiac and Renal) and educational events
South West Maternal Medicine Network: Meet the team | North Bristol NHS Trust (nbt.nhs.uk)
MDTs
- AIP/PAS MDT fortnightly Wednesday lunchtime (Teams link available whenever you can make it).
- SWMMN MDTS – General medicine every Weds 10-11:00, Cardiology every Tues 12-13:00, nephrology alternate Weds 11-12:00, haematology alternate Mon 15-16:00.
- Contact ciaran.geritie-poat@nbt.nhs.uk or louise.wallace@nbt.nhs.uk to attend MDTs.
QIP
- Development of guidelines and policies
- Leadership of QI projects related to obstetric anaesthesia
- Contact Ben Ballisat for list of potential topics or discuss with Helen Johnston.
Logbook
Record clinics and meetings attended, managing CDS, informal and formal teaching given or attended in addition to theatre cases/procedures/EFL.
Use of reflections to demonstrate exposure to curriculum goals.
Conferences
- National and international meetings related to obstetric anaesthesia
- Presentation at relevant meeting e.g. abstract or free paper
- COMMA https://comma-anaesthesia.org/
- OAA https://www.oaa-anaes.ac.uk/home
- SASWR
Teaching Opportunities
- Teaching on PROMPT, BOAST, simulation courses
- Prompt – join faculty contact Ben Ballisat.
- EMTS – present at departmental teaching
- Obstetric Simulation Day (ACORN)– join faculty. Contact matthew.aldridge@nbt.nhs.uk
- Maternal Medicine Simulation Day – contact Helen Johnston
Additional Learning
- Prompt – essential to attend training
Other Hospitals
It is possible to attend other hospitals for experience.
- Queen Charlottes – ‘micro’ fellowship
- St Mikes – contact Ruth.Murphy@uhbw.nhs.uk
Additional Suggestions
- Shadowing members of the MDT to appreciate their roles e.g. Lead Labour Ward Midwife, Consultant Obstetrician
- Supervision/mentorship of junior anaesthetists doing IACOA/stage 1 obstetric anaesthesia
- Leadership training
- Attending CTG teaching
Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) can be used to demonstrate:
- pre-operative assessment for high-risk cases
- understanding and knowledge of difficult airway management in obstetric cases
- management of obstetric emergencies
- management of critically ill parturients
- ability to manage and provide safe and effective anaesthesia and analgesia for obstetric patients in the elective and emergency setting
- elective Caesarean section list management
- labour ward management of workload
- effective management of high-risk patients
- management of non-obstetric surgery in pregnancy
- leading ward round of high dependency unit obstetric patients
- leadership and delegation by leading anaesthetic handover, managing elective list and delivery suite workload
- involvement with obstetric patients with complex medical needs eg congenital cardiac diagnoses
- safeguarding issues in obstetric patients with learning difficulties, mental health issue or underage pregnancy
- ethical dilemmas e.g. consent for delivery and anaesthetic in pregnant patients with severe mental health issue
- perioperative assessment and MDT discussion for pregnant women with complex medical background
SIA lead:
Dr Helen Johnstone