A shortfall of around 2,250 anaesthetists across the UK is stopping up to 1.5 million operations and procedures from taking place each year. That equates to roughly 4,000 procedures lost every day as the NHS struggles to clear vast waiting lists for both urgent and elective care.
The Royal College of Anaesthetists set out the scale in its UK State of the Nation report for 2026. Current numbers stand at about 12,050 consultant and specialist associate specialist and specialty anaesthetists. This leaves the service 16 percent below the level required to meet demand.
The gap has widened despite modest growth in anaesthetist numbers since the 2024 report. On average the shortfall has increased by 155 anaesthetists each year. Hospital capacity existed for around 380 additional anaesthetic training posts a year as of 2025, yet expansion has not kept pace.
Patients are still waiting too long for surgery, and the shortage of anaesthetists is a major factor. Despite modest increases, the gap between the anaesthetists we have and those we need continues to widen. This shortfall is delaying care for patients before, during and after surgery, placing growing pressure on our members and limiting the government’s long-term ambitions for the NHS. We must act now. The forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan is a critical opportunity for the government to expand the number of training places for doctors to train as anaesthetists, retain our highly skilled workforce and deliver better care for patients.
Dr Claire Shannon, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, delivered that verdict in the report itself. Her words capture a pattern of repeated failure. Successive governments have presided over centralised workforce planning that consistently underestimates training needs while piling on regulatory burdens that drive experienced staff away.
Clinical leaders see the consequences daily. Eighty-eight percent report that surgery is sometimes postponed because no anaesthetist is available. Forty-three percent say this occurs on a daily or weekly basis. These are not abstract statistics. They represent cancelled cancer operations, delayed joint replacements and mothers in labour left without timely pain relief.
Jenny Westaway, chair of PatientsVoices@RCoA, described the human reality.
