RCP celebrates SAS Week 2024 by publishing open letter to the NHS

In an open letter to the NHS, the RCP has today (Tuesday 15 October) praised the work of SAS doctors and their contribution to patient care. Today’s #SASWeek24 theme celebrates the ‘specialist grade’, which allows career progression for highly experienced specialty doctors.

In educational and career support guidance for SAS doctors published in June 2024, the RCP recommended that ‘specialty doctors with the required experience, and who meet the requirements of the GMC Generic professional capabilities framework, should be offered the opportunity to become specialists.’ 

Leading SAS doctors have contributed blogs to the RCP website this week, including RCP SAS lead, Dr Naeem Aziz, who has written about SAS doctors in extended roles. In a blog that will be published tomorrow (Wednesday 16 October), Dr Aziz said: 

‘The NHS is more dependent than ever on the expertise of SAS doctors, yet they are often left out of advanced roles in leadership, training and education. The NHS employs many highly skilled SAS doctors, yet surveys have shown that there has been little uptake of new specialist grade posts in the NHS. If the NHS is to advance and show improvement, it can no longer overlook the substantial talent pool of SAS doctors.’ 

Writing in a blog on Monday (14 October) for the RCP website about choosing an SAS career, Dr Priscilla Smith, who is the RCP SAS lead for London South said: 

‘Working as an SAS doctor was an ideal choice for me after having undertaken multiple years of training overseas and wanting stability for myself and my family in the UK. I have been able to negotiate a job plan that reflects both the needs of the service and allows me the flexibility to explore opportunities in research and develop skills in leadership and governance. Not all SAS doctors are as lucky. Many feel unsupported and are not provided with opportunities for progression. This can only change on the ground with a combined commitment from NHS employing organisations and individual managers. The royal colleges (including the RCP) play a vital role in advocating for SAS doctors, providing opportunities for education and support as well as the chance to be awarded fellowship in recognition of service and career achievements.’  

On Thursday 17 October, Professor Anton Emmanuel, a consultant physician who led NHS England’s Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) programme, will write for the RCP about equalities and the Medical WRES: 

‘Inequities are experienced by Black and minority ethnic doctors across the career span – from reduced likelihood of medical school admission to worse outcomes of appraisal and disciplinary process and greater likelihood of bullying and harassment. Minoritised doctors are underrepresented in consultant grade roles and academic or management positions while being overrepresented in ‘other’ doctor grades (including SAS and locally employed doctor colleagues).’  

To round off the week, on Friday 18 October, Dr Nicola Allen, SAS tutor at Hywel Dda University Health Board discusses her decision to leave formal medical training and how becoming an SAS doctor has allowed her to pursue a range of opportunities and focus on her own wellbeing: 

‘My role as an SAS tutor has opened my eyes to the variety of opportunities that are out there for SAS doctors and how we can shape our careers in a diverse way. I have enjoyed a host of opportunities, and being an SAS doctor has allowed me to have flexibility and choice, something I found missing in training. SAS isn’t for everyone, but I have never regretted my choice of leaving formal training and becoming an SAS doctor.’