SAS Doctors

SAS - Specialty and Specialist doctors

Information about SAS Doctors

Welcome from ELFT's SAS Tutor Dr Will Phung

My role, as SAS Tutor is to provide leadership, and guidance within the Medical Education and HR teams, specific to supporting the training and development needs of SAGS Doctors and meeting the SAS Charter. I am a link between the local representatives and The Medical Education /HR Teams and senior management, and also a person to contact for advice and support.

We recognise and value the diversity of experience that SAS grade Drs bring to our medical workforce and want to encourage you to continue to grow and develop in your career and personal development, in line with what is laid out in the SAS Charter, put together by the BMA and Heath Education England in 2014.

The SAS Charter key areas are:

Conditions of employment.
Revalidation, Appraisal, and job planning.
Support.
Development (career, training, CESR, CPD)
Involvement in management structures.

SAS Doctor Induction Checklist

There is a SAS Dr representative in each of the Trust Localities, and these are currently:

Tower Hamlets: Dr.Shrabanti Koley

City and Hackney: Temporary Kate Aldersey

Bedfordshire and Luton: Dr.Sudheer Surapaneni

Newham: Dr.Prutha Desai

Luton LNC : Vacant

LNC SAS rep : Vincenzo Giordano

The Trust Joint Local Negotiating Committee, with representatives from all Grades of the Medical workforce meets - with BMA support - to address issues around terms and conditions of contract, employment and workplace based issues and to raise issues with the Trust Board.

The Trust has a SAS doctor Steering Group which meets regularly to discuss progress against the SAS Charter (include a hyperlink) and address any areas where more focussed work is needed. The group also discuss education and development opportunities for SAS doctors including making decisions on how money awarded by Health Education England should be spent, to benefit SAS doctors across the Trust.

The Medical Education Team, and Human Resources based at Trust Headquarters, will provide you with information specific to your job prior to starting, a job plan and information about working in your locality. They will also give you information about local and Trust wide teaching that you will have protected time to attend weekly, as part of CPD.

If you are a new employee to ELFT you will also be required to attend a corporate induction and HR will provide you with information regarding this.

Wishing you an enjoyable start in your new post and in joining ELFT, and I look forward to meeting you at one of our Trust Medical Education events.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists have a Specialty and Associate Specialist Doctors' Committee which Kate Aldersey is currently the Co-Vice Chair.

The committee seeks to influence College activity to support SAS doctors and create a network of SAS doctors and SAS tutors. They are passionate about improving grade recognition, driving career progression and ensuring that development opportunities are presented to Specialty Doctors. The committee hosts a conference every other year and a number of other events and initiatives.

If you would like to find out more about the committee please go to the RCPsych website where you can find more details about the committee and additional resources for SAS doctors or feel free to get in touch with Kate directly on kate.aldersey1@nhs.net

The SAS committee have recently produced the StartWell and StayWell Guide for SAS doctors to help them prepare for and address the challenges of starting their first SAS post or locum SAS assignment. It contains lots of useful information for new and experienced SAS doctors.

Mentoring is great for helping to learn new skills or enhance current skills, maximising personal and professional potential while also contributing to increased confidence, heightened self-awareness, greater wellbeing and improvements in productivity.

ELFT encourages coaching and mentoring for all staff.

Medical Mentoring can be accessed via https://elft.onpld.com/

Revalidation is the process by which the GMC is assured by a Trust of a doctor’s fitness to practice, this will occur every 5 years. ELFT ensure that all GPs, Consultants and SAS doctors are considered for revalidation. Trainees have a separate revalidation process.

Annual appraisal is the mechanism of Revalidation. A doctor reaching their revalidation date must have demonstrated the following:

Engagement with the process of annual appraisal
Appraisal coves the whole scope practice
Received satisfactory feedback from colleagues and patients
Engagement in continuing professional development and quality improvement activity
Awareness of serious incidents and complaints in which they has been named, and has learned from them

Please contact Colin.Lovett@nhs.net, Medical Appraisal and Revalidation Manager.

To register for a SARD account
To register for a 360 feedback
To complete the mandatory Non-ELFT Work Form for your Revalidation, (SARD, Section 12 of your portfolio), please download, complete and sign the Non-ELFT Work Form (found on the internal medical staffing page) and return

Note that Appraisals have to be submitted to the Responsible Officer within 28 days of the Appraisal meeting otherwise the Appraisal is deemed invalid.

Below are links to further resources and information, relevant to working as a SAS Dr in the NHS.

Locality Handbooks - can be accessed via our Resources section for internal staff

Supervision Guidelines - can be accessed via our Resources section for internal staff

Royal College of Psychiatrists Specialty Drs Section

The SAS Charter HEE and BMA 2014

The SAS Development Guide – NHS employers 2017

Startwell & Staywell Framework

Please find the ongoing 2024 CPD courses below:

12th September

Portfolio Pathway Workshop

Maximising your success in obtaining a

Specialist Role or Specialist Registration