Paediatric Anaesthesia

About us

The Paediatric Anaesthesia Service provides anaesthetic services to all major surgical subspecialties at Starship and the Greenlane Surgical Unit. The majority of our clinical work consists of providing anaesthesia for children undergoing surgery in the operating rooms. We also provide anaesthesia and sedation for children undergoing a wide variety of radiological procedures outside the operating room, helping to facilitate investigations such as MRI scans and cardiac catheterisations. Our clinical care extends over the entire peri-operative period including medical optimisation prior to surgery, and pain management in the days following surgery.

Our team consists of specialist paediatric anaesthetists, fellows, registrars, technicians and a very dedicated secretary. Together we aim to make the journey through our operating rooms a pleasant experience for children and their families.

What we do

We provide elective and acute anaesthetic services for most major surgical specialties including:

  • General/thoracic/urology

  • ENT

  • Neurosurgery/craniofacial surgery

  • Orthopaedics

  • Cardiac surgery

The main exception is burns which are managed at the National Burns Centre at Middlemore Hospital. In addition to providing anaesthesia for surgery, we also facilitate medical procedures such as

  • Endoscopy by gastroenterology

  • Flexible bronchoscopy by respiratory

  • Intrathecal chemotherapy by oncology

  • Medical imaging and interventions by radiology

  • Cardiac catheterisations by cardiology

Our department provides a strong educational programme. We are an approved training site as part of the Northern Rotation for ANZCA trainees. Our registrars easily complete the requirements for the paediatric module during their time with us.

We also have a fellowship programme in conjunction with the paediatric intensive care unit for those who wish to further advance their skills in anaesthetising children.

How to refer

All urgent or acute bookings must be discussed directly with the Anaesthetic Coordinator and the Theatre Coordinator. Following discussion, an electronic booking form is completed using Scope via Concerto.

For elective referrals, non-urgent clinical advice or to discuss complex patients, please email sshanaesrefer@adhb.govt.nz This mailbox is checked daily and your enquiry will be passed on to the appropriate anaesthetist.

For acute and chronic pain referrals, please visit the Pain Service site.