3.2 Principles

3.2.1 Epidural anaesthesia should be undertaken by persons with adequate experience in the technique.

3.2.2 The placement and the subsequent management of the epidural cannula, including top-up doses, remains the responsibility of the anaesthetist no matter who administers these later injections.

3.2.3 If the anaesthetist delegates topping-up to another member of the staff without anaesthetic training, it is the anaesthetist's responsibility to ensure that the procedure is carried out safely in his absence.

3.2.4 The anaesthetist must also be completely satisfied as to the competence of the staff requested to administer top-up doses to detect and manage complications until an anaesthetist can attend in person.

3.2.5 The anaesthetist must ensure that he or she is readily contactable and suitable arrangements must be made for a competent medical officer to be available to see the patient within ten minutes, at any time during epidural anaesthesia, should the nursing staff consider this necessary.

3.2.6 There must be adequate staffing of the area in which the patient is being cared to ensure that the standards of observation and nursing care are satisfactory.