Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSE) has partnered with Rela Hospital, Chennai for an interactive course on 'Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patients' (CCrISP) and another course designated ‘Systematic Training in Acute Illness Recognition and Treatment’ (START) for the practising doctors in the state. 

The interactive course (Including mandatory, pre-course e-learning) covers the practical skills and knowledge needed to look after surgical patients including those who are deteriorating or at risk of doing so. These courses are for pre-selected candidates who have completed their MBBS with an additional two years of surgical experience training.

CCrISP and START have been designed by some of the UK’s most academic faculties from both surgical and anaesthetic specialities. The two-day workshop is aimed to deliver/share knowledge, experience, and insights for the participating doctors to learn and develop skills to manage critical situations in surgery systematically. The START programme is headed by Dr Stephen P Cavanagh, Consultant Vascular Surgeon at York Hospital, and CCrISP course is led by Dr Rajesh Sivaprakasam, Consultant in Transplant, Access and General Surgery, Barts Health NHS Trust. Both the interactive courses were further supported by Dr Michal John Fried, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, UK and Dr Abdul Rahman Hakeem, Consultant Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Surgeon, St James's University Hospital, Leeds.

Highlights of the course include- Presentation of critically ill patients; formulation of a plan of action; prevention and recognition of complications; Interaction with colleagues; Communication with patients and relatives during critical illness and conducting a surgical ward round. The number is participants in each course is limited to aid active participation, however, several such courses will be conducted throughout the year.