In KSS, residents will have the opportunity to develop a broad base of specialty experience in friendly and supportive units within the region, together with the advantage of gaining access to world-class centres of expertise in London. This combination will provide excellent exposure in preparation for obtaining a substantive consultant post in either a District General Hospital (DGH) or a tertiary centre.
Where do trainees train?
Kent
– Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury – East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust
– William Harvey Hospital, Ashford – East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust
– Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mother Hospital, Margate
– East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust
– Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford – Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
Surrey
– Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford – Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
– East Surrey Hospital, Redhill – Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Sussex
– Conquest Hospital, St. Leonards-on-Sea – East Sussex Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
– Eastbourne District General Hospital, Eastbourne – East Sussex Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
– Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton – Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
– Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath – Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
– Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead – Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
– Worthing Hospital, Worthing – Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
– St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester – Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
To find out more about each training location, please visit the Local Education Provider webpage.
London
– Kings College Hospital, London. To find out more visit Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s website.
– Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, London. To find out more visit Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust’s website.
– St George’s Hospital, London. To find out more visit St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website.
We can negotiate access to other London hospitals based on individual training requirements.
Rotations
Due to the large size of the region the anaesthetic rotation is divided into the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Kent and Surrey residents will spend one year of Stage 2 in a London Hospital (Guy’s and St Thomas’ or Kings) and the remainder in a Kent or Surrey hospital. The London placement will provide training in Cardiac, Thoracic, Neurosurgery and Paediatric specialties.
In Sussex, residents will rotate through Sussex hospitals and complete specialty training at Brighton. Thoracic subspecialty training is a 1-2 week secondment to the Brompton in London during Stage 2.
During Stage 2 and 3, Residents will be allocated rotations in their own county – Kent, Surrey or Sussex. The exception is Stage 2 specialty training in London and Stage 3 Specialist Interest Areas (SIAs). Post FRCA ST5+ residents are invited to apply for SIA posts in Stage 3 throughout the KSS region and also to KSS commissioned posts in London hospitals.
For further information on the RCOA Anaesthesia Training Programme, please visit the RCOA website.
Other Opportunities
We also have a dedicated Training Programme Director for trainee support who can be contacted independently or via a referral from either your Educational Supervisor or College Tutor.
In conjunction with Brighton and Sussex Medical School there are opportunities to gain further post graduate qualifications such as Certificates, Diplomas and MSc. This is available for all HEE, KSS trainees.
Out of Programme Opportunities (OOP)
KSS support residents in pursuing Out Of Programme (OOP) opportunities. We follow the eligibility criteria set out in the COPMeD Gold Guide. Residents are encouraged to plan these opportunities early and discuss plans with their educational supervisors and KSS Training Programme Director, as a minimum of six months’ notice is required for applications to KSS, to allow sufficient vacancy management within the programme. For further information visit the support portal.
Less Than Full Time
We understand that for various reasons trainees personal circumstances may require a reduction in hours, in order for them to achieve a suitable work/ life balance. We follow the guidance set out in the COPMeD Gold Guide. Within KSS we have a dedicated Less Than Full Time (LTFT) team who can guide and support trainees in applying for LTFT training. For further information visit the support portal.
SIA KSS ANAESTHETICS
Stage 3 Special Interest Areas (SIAs)
| Application Process for SIA [Special Interest Area] Posts The Kent, Surrey and Sussex School of Anaesthesia offers approximately 36 Stage 3 special interest area (SIA) posts in 13 specialty areas across KSS and specific London hospitals/trusts. These SIA posts are available to residents during their Stage 3 (ST6/7) years. This SIA allocation process commencing in September 2025 for SIA posts starting in August 2026 and February 2027. |
| Eligibility Applications are open to all resident doctors who will have completed Stage 2 training and be ST6/7 (Stage 3) by the time of commencing the SIA post. – Residents should only apply for SIAs if they will be the required training grade by the start date of the SIA applied for – Trainees can apply to undertake a maximum of 12 months (whole time equivalent) in SIA posts during their Stage 3 (ST6/7) years, as required by the curriculum. – Those with more complex training timelines e.g. due to being LTFT or taken time out of training, should contact their TPD to discuss eligibility prior to applying if they are unsure about when to apply. – Please refer to the SIA handbook (link below) for full details of the application process, as well as comprehensive information on the individual SIA posts offered for KSS resident doctors. Please read the following guidance carefully on the application and allocation process for SIA posts. |
| Application Resident Doctors can apply for a maximum of two SIAs: either two different specialties of 6 months duration each (whole time equivalent) or one specialty of 12 months duration (whole time equivalent). Single specialty 12 month SIAs are available in Anaesthesia for Cardiac Surgery, Anaesthesia for Neurosurgery, Obstetric Anaesthesia and Paediatric Anaesthesia. Trainees who wish to undertake 12 months of Cardiac or Obstetric Anaesthesia are strongly advised to apply for two 6 month SIAs in these specialties at two different sites, to give a diversity of experience. Paediatric Anaesthesia 12 month SIA posts are only available at GOSH but trainees can also apply for two 6 month SIAs in Paediatric Anaesthesia at two different sites if they wish to. 12 month SIAs in Anaesthesia for Neurosurgery are available as 6 months at St George’s Hospital or 6 months at NHNN, Queen Square AND 6 months UHS. Resident doctors must complete and submit an online application form to apply for the SIA posts. |
| Application Preference – If applying for TWO 6 month SIAs, you will need to state which is your 1st and 2nd preference. – If applying for only ONE SIA, you can still apply for two different SIAs (indicating which is your 1st and 2nd preference) in order to maximise your chances of success. – For each SIA, you can then rank your preference for the sites at which the SIA is offered and omit those you do not want to be considered for. – The link to the online application form will be available on the KSS School of Anaesthesia website in September 2025. |
| SIA Allocations Applications will be assessed and scored on two components: – A supporting personal statement for each SIA applied for, demonstrating why the trainee wishes to do that particular SIA and their commitment to that specialty [maximum of 1600 characters (~200 words) / maximum score of 20]. – Three supporting information statements for each SIA applied for, describing the trainees involvement in: (i) Teaching / Training, (ii) Audit / QI / Research, (iii) Management / Leadership [maximum of 1200 characters (~150 words) for each response / maximum score of 10 for each]. |
| SIA Conditions Please be aware of the following conditions that apply once you have been offered and confirmed acceptance of an SIA post: A minimum notice period of 6 months from the start date of the SIA is required if you subsequently want to make changes or no longer wish to undertake the post i.e. by the end of January for August start date / by the end of July for February start date. If a post is accepted as LTFT then it may not be possible to subsequently change the LTFT percentage or go full time. Any such requests will need to be discussed with your TPD to ascertain if it may be possible. SIA posts can only be deferred to a future start date for the following statutory leave reasons: Maternity or shared parental leave Long-term sick leave The deferred start date will be dependent on future availability of the same SIA and cannot be guaranteed if the future SIA posts are already allocated. In this case, an alternative SIA may need to be considered. Please discuss any deferral requests with your TPD as soon as possible. |
| Timetable for 2026 – 27 SIA Process Online application process for trainees will begin and stay open for 1 month 1st September – 30th September WTE to collate and send application forms to TPDs First 2 weeks of October TPDs to review and verify applications Second 2 weeks of October Applications sent to module leads. Scores to be returned to WTE team and TPDs by SIA group leads as soon as possible. 1st – 30th November TPD’s to review all information and allocate resident doctors to posts 1st – 15th December Resident doctors informed of allocations and asked to confirm their acceptance 1st week of January- Residents informed. 31st January – Resident doctors’ deadline to confirm acceptance Rotational grids sent to College Tutors who will then inform their SIA leads of resident allocations. April (for August intake) October (for February intake) Notice period for changes to allocated SIAs August 2026 start – by end of January 2026 February 2027 start – by end of July 2026 |
SIA Handbooks and Application Forms
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Anaesthetics SIA handbook
LINK – AVAILABLE – 1 Sep 25
SIA Application Forms for August 2026 and February 2027 start dates
- The application process will open at 12:00 1st September 2025 and will close at 12:00 on 1st October 2025.
- You can submit more than one application, however only your most recent submission will be scored.
- Late applications will not be considered.
- For any queries, please contact your TPDs in the first instance.
LINK – AVAILABLE – 1 sep 25 {application opens 1 Sep)