Author: Dr Zoe Robertson, Specialty Doctor in Anaesthetics, SAS Tutor, Northumbria Foundation NHS Trust; RCoA SAS Committee member
It’s been two years since the SAS-Six campaign by the SAS collective launched during the national SAS week celebrations. Northumbria Foundation NHS Trust was the first trust to endorse the six asks, aiming to improve the career and professional development, along with job security, of our trust’s SAS doctors.
Fast forward to 2025, and there are 10 trusts and 12 national stakeholders, including the RCoA, who have publicly supported the SAS-Six campaign.
As the SAS tutor of the trust, I wanted to share and reflect on how we have supported and overcome the challenges with each of the SAS-Six asks. Northumbria trust has more than 50 SAS doctors from 16 different specialties, from early career specialty doctors to senior specialists and associate specialists who have worked in the trust for a great number of years. The trust leadership has been fully supportive of the campaign and has always driven a positive culture of SAS careers, which has allowed the six asks to be delivered.
Six asks
We have always encouraged specialty-specific mentors or supervisors to be in place for early career SAS doctors, as we know that during this period, the individual may require specific career advice and awareness of the number of opportunities available to them. As the SAS tutor and SAS six have been in place in the trust, I’ve noticed more consultant colleagues contacting me to ask how to support early career SAS as well as advising doctors in their departments.
Our HR department has fully driven the contractual asks of the SAS-Six. They contact the individual and the department’s clinical leaders when the LED is coming up to or has passed the two-year mark. This allows for the LED and department to have open discussions regarding the post and the possibilities of changing to an SAS contract. Our HR department has encouraged the making of a positive approach to them for advice and support for these changes, thus easing the process of change for departments.
Throughout the year, I organise SAS development days on a variety of topics which are open to all SAS doctors, and there is advanced notice of these and funding from the SAS development fund. This ensures that all SAS doctors have the opportunity to attend. Every SAS doctor has the same departmental study funding amount compared to their consultant colleagues, which they can use for specialty-specific CPD. The opportunities to attend departmental development events (for example, resident doctor educational sessions) are open to all SAS doctors who wish to attend.
A few years ago, there was a regional campaign to train and encourage more SAS doctors to become educational supervisors, and the numbers escalated. Therefore, with this ask we already had a positive culture of SAS doctors being supervisors and taking on educational leadership roles within the trust with the appropriate remuneration (PAs) given. When a new SAS doctor is employed, our education department swiftly contacts them and highlights all the opportunities available. Keeping the SAS contact list up to date is the key.
We have SAS doctors carrying out several leadership and management roles within the trust; for example, deputy clinical leads, medical staffing committee chairs and educational leadership tutor roles, as all roles are open to all. If the job description requires editing or changing, this is done in a timely manner and communicated to all permanent medical staff. Having the presence of SAS individuals in these leadership and management meetings ensures that these opportunities aren’t missed for current and future SAS doctors.
Currently, the eight specialists have either progressed from specialty doctor to specialist or been newly appointed specialists to the trust. Since the endorsement of the SAS-Six, this ask has made the largest impact, despite its challenges. Having the endorsement has allowed specialty doctors who meet the criteria to approach department leaders and management with evidence more easily and with more open discussions. Although the development of these senior positions has been shown to come more easily in some departments than in others, the openness and continuous discussion of these senior positions have grown over the past year.
As a trust, we are constantly aiming to improve the careers of our SAS colleagues, and the SAS-Six has ensured that this is occurring across all departments. Could your trust be the next to endorse?