MWF – The Medical Women’s Federation is delighted to formally endorse the work of the SAS Collective, a group of specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors working to improve the careers and retention of SAS and locally employed doctors across the UK. MWF is calling for all political parties to support SAS doctors as outlined in #SASsix.
The #SASsix campaign calls for:
- Every early career SAS doctor should have access to an educational supervisor.
- All SAS doctors should have equity of access to professional development opportunities relevant to their stage of career.
- All specialty doctors who meet the required capabilities should have the opportunity to become specialists.
- Senior SAS doctors should be offered the opportunity to be educators at every level on a par with consultants, e.g., educational supervisors, clinical supervisors, directors of medical education.
- All extended roles in leadership and management should be open to all substantive medical staff, i.e., consultants and appropriately experienced SAS doctors.
- All LEDs employed for more than two years with one NHS employer should be offered the opportunity to transfer to the appropriate SAS contract.
The SAS Collective started as a group of five specialist, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) doctors with experience of representation at local, regional, and national levels, aiming to shift the culture to make these careers all they can be.
The most rapidly rising group of doctors on the medical register, they are doctors who are outside formal training programmes and are not Consultants or GPs (source: the most recent GMC workforce report). SAS doctors and locally employed doctors (LEDs) make up approximately 24% of the workforce and are projected to be the largest group before the decade is out.
Despite the national contract structure provided by the 2021 SAS contract update and recent positive changes to the CESR route to the specialist register (now called the "portfolio pathway"), experiences for SAS doctors are not always positive. There is a lot of national rhetoric supporting these careers, but in reality, doctors often find their careers stifled rather than supported. This has significant implications for the current and future NHS workforce, as there are senior destinations within an SAS career that should be attainable but are not being fully realised.
It is interesting to note that this group is also the most diverse in the medical workforce, with female local graduates most likely to be SAS doctors in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and male International Medical Graduates most likely to be SAS doctors in England and Wales.
Dr Joanne Younge, one of the founding members of the SAS Collective, said, “We think these things could make an enormous difference to the careers of thousands of doctors and allow many more people to achieve their potential as senior, experienced, and independent colleagues, thereby improving patient care. In a workforce crisis, doing anything else is just wasting talent in our opinion.”
“To try to visibly change the culture associated with SAS careers, we are very active on social media. We have hosted seven 'tweet chats' with diverse panels of national stakeholders, with some excellent metrics suggesting we are being seen and our impact is positive. We have had representation from the GMC, the BMA, royal colleges, NHS employers, and individual Trusts.”
The campaign has now been endorsed or supported by the HCSA, Medical Protection, the Association of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Physicians, and most recently Med Ed Leaders UK (links embedded, click for the statements).
Dr Becs Winterborn, Honorary Secretary of the MWF, said, “This is an extremely important piece of work and one that we wholeheartedly support. SAS doctors are highly experienced and should be supported to deliver excellent care, education, and leadership to improve the health of our nation. SAS roles provide the flexibility that many women desire and their talent and potential should be championed and celebrated.”
Dr Kate Aldersey and Dr Victoria Robinson, MWF SAS Representatives on council said "We are thrilled that the MWF is endorsing the work of the SAS collective. Many women SAS doctors are ambitious and driven and have a great deal to offer in terms of leadership roles. At the moment, opportunities for career development are not always available. As newly appointed MWF SAS representatives, we will use the #SASsix as a framework to support our work in ensuring that being a SAS doctor is a rewarding career option".
Follow the SAS Collective on X:
