Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many anaesthesia associates were practising in England in (1) 2005, (2) 2010, (3) 2015, (4) 2020, and (5) 2023.

The Department does not hold the historical data requested.

There are two proxy measures which could be used to understand the number of anaesthesia associates (AAs) currently practicing in England. Firstly, data on the National Health Service workforce is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and published by NHS England. ESR is the payroll system for the NHS. The latest data for June 2023 shows that there are 72 full-time equivalent staff recorded as AAs working in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. Coding of AAs on ESR was only introduced in 2021 and it is therefore likely that some people are not coded correctly.

Secondly, the Royal College of Anaesthetists holds and publishes a voluntary register of AAs across the United Kingdom who have completed the anaesthetist associate training. As of November 2023, this held 167 registered members, 134 of whom have listed an NHS trust as their employer. The register is voluntary and so may not include all those who have completed training. In addition, registration with the voluntary register does not guarantee that an individual is currently practicing.