About the Anaesthesia Perioperative Care Network

The Anaesthesia Perioperative Care Network was established to design and promote initiatives to improve patient care across anaesthetic and perioperative services in NSW. The Network aims to build strong collaborative relationships with clinicians, consumers, other health pillars and the Local Health Districts.

Anaesthesia Services

Anaesthesia services are essential to acute care hospitals and are also critical to important aspects of pre-hospital care and disaster responses.

Patient services that involve key input from the specialty of anaesthesia include surgery, procedures, acute and chronic pain management, high dependency, intensive care and medical retrieval.

There are increasing demands being placed on anaesthesia services providing perioperative care in the NSW Health system.

A Definition of General Anaesthesia

A reversible, drug induced period of unconsciousness where all your sensations including pain are absent, you have no awareness of your surroundings and during which your anaesthetist constantly monitors and maintains your normal function(s).

Our People

Dr Richard Halliwell, Co-Chair
Anaesthetist
Westmead Hospital
Western Sydney Local Health District

Dr Arpit Srivastava, Co-Chair
Anaesthetist
Royal North Shore Hospital
Northern Sydney Local Health District

Ms Deborah Burrows, Co-Chair
District Clinical Nurse Consultant Perioperative Services
Southern NSW Local Health District

Background

The ACI Anaesthesia Perioperative Care Network was established in late 2009 in recognition of the important roles anaesthesia and perioperative care play in a patient’s journey.