Mary Newton was a consultant neuroanaesthetist and worked at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London until 2018. Prior to that she was a consultant anaesthetist at what is now Barts Health NHS Trust. She trained in anaesthesia in London hospitals following her graduation from St George’s Hospital Medical School. Sadly, Mary lost her battle with cancer in July 2024.

Ironically there are few situations where sedation is appropriate for patients with neurological conditions but Mary was passionate about the provision of safe conscious sedation in other areas of medicine for over thirty years. She was a member of several medical college working groups seeking to establish guidelines for improving the provision of safe sedation.
Following the publication of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ (AoRMC) document ’Safe Sedation Practice for Healthcare Procedures. Standards and Guidance. 2013’ Mary was determined to establish a nationally recognised, formal, accredited competency-based course as recommended by the AoRMC and so the ’National Safe Sedation’ (NSS) course was born.
Mary was immensely grateful to the Royal College of Anaesthetists for their generous support with the development of the course.

I am a retired consultant anaesthetist, having worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London from 1983 to 2023.
I developed my interest in safe sedation through working closely with Mary Newton. Her long-standing passion for establishing safe sedation practice was infectious, and her commitment to implementing the guidelines set out by the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges was inspiring.
She has a left a phenomenal legacy which I am proud and honoured to continue in her memory.

I am a consultant in anaesthesia at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and sedation advisor to the Royal College of Anaesthetists, which gives me the opportunity to support colleagues, across all medical subspecialties, to develop services which enable safer sedation.

I also serve as the sedation lead to the anaesthetic department at Salford Royal Hospital, to maintain practice in line with the Royal College of Anaesthetist’s GPAS and ACSA standards. Beyond the anaesthetic department, I work with Trust leaders and multidisciplinary subdivisions to provide guidance on safer service delivery of sedation in non-theatre environments. In doing so, I have gained valuable experience in staff engagement and forged strong links with clinical teams in many specialties including radiology, paediatrics and dentistry.

Since 2016, I have collaborated with Dr Mary Newton as a committee member of the National Safe Sedation (NSS) course, to develop training specifically for non-anaesthetists on how to deliver safe sedation. This has included developing online learning modules. Since 2018, I have delivered the NSS course to delegates in Bristol, London and Manchester and received positive feedback.

A Masters degree in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors from the University of Edinburgh, has provided me with the skills and expertise to reduce clinical risk and effective leadership within my own and wider practice. I have a strong understanding of quality improvement methodology, qualitative research and a determination to problem solve from a systems-based, person-centred approach. This experience has led me to sit on my Trust’s Safety Committee to accommodate the current approach to root cause analysis with a human factor’s perspective, one which is equally applicable to maintaining standards in sedation.

Outside work I enjoy running and am a competent seamstress.

I am an anaesthetic registrar in North Central London in my final year of training.
I am passionate about patient safety and especially improving the provision of sedation.
I have worked closely with the inspirational Dr Mary Newton, who established National Safe Sedation, and have led and taught on several NSS courses throughout the UK since 2020.

I’m a PhD student at the University of Loughborough, London in collaboration with the British Library researching inclusive access, discoverability and use of British Library digital learning resources for disadvantaged young people. Having previously studied Digital Humanities at UCL, I am aiming to be at the forefront of developing innovative and dynamic strategies for inclusion and accessibility within the cultural heritage sector.

I’m thrilled to be working with Mary and the other committee members on such an important and worthwhile cause whilst continuing to expand on my digital experience.