Prof Tim Cook

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust

Biography

• Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospital, Bath
• Honorary Professor of Anaesthesia University of Bristol
• Director of National Audit Projects
• College Advisor on Airway

I work in Bath and am a full time DGH consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine.

I have been fortunate to have been centrally involved in five Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) National Audit Projects learning from major complications of anaesthesia: as clinical lead for NAP3 and 4 (NAP3 – epidurals/spinal anaesthesia, NAP4 – airway management) and as co-lead and director of the program for NAP5-7 (NAP5 – accidental awareness during general anaesthesia – undoubtedly the most ‘patient facing’ of all NAPs to date – NAP6 – perioperative anaphylaxis and NAP7- perioperative cardiac arrest which will launch in May 2021). These big projects involve the nation’s anaesthetists collaborating to shine a light on patient-centred aspects of anaesthetic practice and safety. They are a form of professional-citizen science and are recognised to have changed the landscape of UK anaesthesia clinical practice and anaesthesia research engagement.

Like many colleagues I have an overall interest in improving safety and quality in anaesthesia and intensive care using a bottom up approach. I have been honoured to be awarded the RCoA Macintosh Professorship 2012-13, the Difficult Airway Society Professorship 2014, an honorary Professorship in Bristol University and several other prizes for which I am grateful and humbled.

During the COVID-19 pandemic I spent several months working from home, during which time I kept my ear to the ground and sought to aid organisational preparedness. Since July I’ve been back to anaesthesia and am plotting my route back to ICM.