Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) was founded by Henry W Featherstone (1894-1967) of Birmingham (President of the Section of Anaesthetics of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1930-1931), who became its first President at the inaugural meeting at the premises of the Medical Society of London in 1932. It was founded at a period when specialist training in anaesthesia was virtually non-existent. One of the Association's objectives was to promote progress and safety in the practice of anaesthesia by improving the expertise, training and status of anaesthetists, so ensuring the safety and comfort of patients in the operating theatre. It now represents anaesthetists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and some overseas members, but although it is often consulted by government bodies it has no direct statutory powers. The maintenance of academic standards is the responsibility of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. At the time of its foundation the Association was the only representative organisation, and it played an important role in developments including the introduction of the first specialist qualification, the Diploma in Anaesthetics (DA) in 1935, and the expansion of the specialty during World War Two (1939-1945). Publication of its journal Anaesthesia began in 1946. It played a part in the founding of the Faculty of Anaesthesia of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (1947), which later became the Royal College of Anaesthetists. It was involved in negotiations about the status of the specialty preceding the inception of the National Health Service (1948); in the founding of the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (1959); and establishment of the Junior Anaesthetists' Group in 1967 (renamed the Group of Anaesthetists in Training in 1991). The Association holds scientific meetings and provides a forum for clinical and academic discussion; promotes and undertakes research; and promulgates its political views both independently and through the British Medical Association. In addition to the journal Anaesthesia it produces the newsletter Anaesthesia News. The Association was granted the right to bear arms by King George VI in 1945. The Association moved from its offices in the British Medical Association House, Tavistock Square, to new headquarters at no 9 Bedford Square, London, which was acquired in 1985 and opened in 1987. In 2002 its members numbered over 8,000.

Oxford Brookes University was initially commissioned jointly by the Association and the Royal College of Anaesthetists to videotape a series of interviews with eminent anaesthetists. Oxford Brookes continues to make the series commissioned by the Association on its own behalf.